Hotaru no Hikari
by Mahiru no Yo
Summary: Team Rocket is well-known for seeking total power to control the world, and suddenly they stumble upon a girl with a secret and a special ability. Was it coincidence? Her ability would allow them to control every Pokémon. Of course, Team Rocket would never hesitate to grab such a chance, even if they had to hunt her across the entire Johto region... (rewritten. Please r&r)
1. Prologue: A Stormy Night

**This is the first chapter of my rewritten story 'Hotaru no Hikari'. Wow, it really took me two years to do this. Please, enjoy reading it and tell me your opinion and thoughts in a review. And I really hope you will like! Rated T: For violence. If you don't like it, don't read it. Some chapters will be similar to the ones in my old HnH version!  
**

**Based on the anime and the HGSS versions.  
Main categories: Action, Aventure, Drama, Family, Humor**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or the Pokémon characters! I own only my OCs and plot!**

* * *

**Prologue: A Stormy Night  
**

It was a dark and stormy night in the southern Johto region. A strong wind blew and bent the trees of the forest as if they were made of rubber, and the endless raindrops fell and pattered on the leaves, nearly tearing them apart. All Pokémon stayed in their nests and hideouts, nestled with other Pokémon to find comfort in that storm. It had been a while since the last storm made them hide. A group of Pidgey searched the safety of a strong tree while two Rattata hopped into a hole in the ground. The thunder and lightning bolts rumbled loud enough to make the earth tremble.

Only one single Pokémon flew directly into the center of the storm, it knew it would be in danger if it landed. A tiny Pokémon in the appearance of a reindeer with white and green fur flew through the frightful storm. It fought its way through the wind and rain, but could barely see. Flashes surprised and seemed to surround the reindeer Pokémon, it almost dropped the plant which it carried in its mouth, a pink flower. The petals hung lifelessly and the beauty of the flower got robbed by the thunderstorm.

"Mii!" The Pokémon cried in surprise as a thunderbolt stroke one of the trees before the Pokémon. Immediately, it fell like a stone from the sky. The Pokémon hit several branches of the trees, which caught it before it dropped to the ground. Exhausted and injured the Pokémon tried to stand up. But instead, it collapsed exhausted. "Mii..."

Suddenly, the ear-splitting sound of a helicopter echoed through the valley, literally drowning the noises of the storm.

The Pokémon's eyes snapped open in shock, it panted and raised its head to see the danger coming closer. The reindeer got up on its legs, and with one jump it was back in the air. The reindeer flew higher to reach the perfect altitude, but the sound of the helicopter came closer rapidly and thus the humans who were after the reindeer Pokémon. By glancing at the flying contraption the Pokémon suddenly noticed how big it was, it was frightening huge. And the logo of the Pokémon's chasers jumped into the reindeer's view. A crimson red 'R', painted on the side of the chopper.

Someone inside the helicopter opened the sliding on the side of the chopper and leaned out, only to get greeted by enormous rain. "I can see it! I found the Pokémon!" yelled the person. That man used infrared-field glasses to identify their target in the darkness.

"How far away?" shouted a woman, the pilot of the helicopter. Her grip on the control column tightened as she fought against the strong and rapidly changing winds. Out of the sudden, the helicopter got ripped out of the flight by the wind and lost altitude, but the woman who controlled the machine had enough experiences to get it back under control. She steered it around and followed her partner's orders, chasing after the Pokémon. "I can't see it, where is it?" again, she yelled. The sound of rain that splashed on their contraption added to the helicopter sounds and the thunder. The woman steered the helicopter over the the forest with all her might and above a deep abyss that lead into the dark sea.

"About three hundred meters ahead and it is heading further out to the sea!"

"That is too far. We're nearly out of gas, we need to go back or else we won't make it!" the pilot exclaimed and almost whirled the steering column around, but her partner stopped her.

"Wait!" he yelled and ran to a metallic box in corner. Inside the box was professional equipment to catch Pokémon. Nets, tranquilizer darts, transmitters, blowguns, and a shotgun. It was a matter of fact that he took the modern shotgun and put a single dart into the opening for cartridges before he leaned out of the chopper, again, and aimed for the flying reindeer Pokémon. The shotgun pushed him down, since the gun's weight only laid on his right shoulder. "Okay, hold still, little-" He grunted as the helicopter flew a sharp curve, almost causin him to fall out. "Hun! Are you mad? You nearly killed me!" the muscular man shouted at his partner, grabbing the bar that was attached to the side of the sliding door. To his disappointment, he found the Pokémon escaping from them.

Unimpressed, the female pilot shrugged with her shoulders before she canceled the mission, she steered the helicopter back to the land. "And you nearly killed our target. If that Pokémon falls asleep in its flight, then it would die by falling into the sea from this altitude. Additionally, you wouldn't even hit from this distance, so save the darts for later. We will head out again when the storm is over, Attila. Plus, it still got the transmitter, so we won't have any trouble finding it later," she told him with an icy look on her face. "Let's go back."

The helicopter flew back toward the Johto region, away from the storm. The further they flew the weaker became the wind and the rain became less.

Therefore, the further the helicopter flew the higher became hills and mountains.

An abandoned mountain range appeared on the horizon, and that was the point the helicopter was heading to. It was a lifeless area without many Pokémon, dangerous, dark, sinister, and cold, far away from the sea. The perfect place to hide something no one is allowed to find. A hideout for example.

As the chopper flew to one of the mountains, it seemed like it was about to crash into it, but instead the helicopter turned the rotors upside down to remain in the current position. Artificial lights from the ground signaled the pilot to land. Slowly, the woman flew lower and before she landed the helicopter, the ground split, revealing a platform where the chopper landed on. Before the ground plates closed again, the platform carried the helicopter underneath the surface to the secret hideout of the organization who had sent these two agents.

"How annoying. I can't believe that thing escaped," the muscular man named Attila hissed loudly and balled his hands to fists as he hopped out of the chopper. He cracked his knuckles loudly, simply exposing his muscles. He had short, but shaggy and somewhat messy blonde hair and wore sunglasses, though he hadn't seen the sun shining for a few days.

"Calm down. First, we need to report everything to Professor Sebastian," his partner, Hun, a woman with shoulder-length silver hair and silver eyes told him and followed him.

Their way led through the hideout, through dark corridors all heading deeper into the mountain itself. Doors on each side made it seem endless, but around the corner was the last door. A door made of glass, but the room behind it couldn't be seen. And only the higher-ranked agents were allowed to enter the room. Hun withdrew a magnetic ID card from the pocket of her grey trousers and pulled it through the scanner of the electronic lock. A green light gave the permission to enter and the door opened automatically.

The room behind the glass door included a mass of desks, all lined up and all holding computers and screens. Only a dimmed, artificial light illuminated the room, created by the giant screen attached on the opposite wall. "Professor Sebastian?" asked Hun, catching the attention of the person standing in front of the huge screen. "We're back from our mission." The female agent leaned her hands on her hips as she walked to that person, followed by her partner in crime.

"You're quite late. I hope you will enlighten me how your mission went," the man said, his gaze remained on the screen. Assuming from his clothes, he was a scientist, but obviously a higher-ranked one. He wore a white, rather greyish, lab coat, glasses, had grey hair with a single white streak, and a grey goatee. Slowly, he turned his head to face the agents.

Hun hesitated, her eyes became even colder and her look was filled with anger but she stayed cool. "We failed. The Pokémon escaped and fled in the storm. We weren't able to follow it any further," she reported.

With a sigh, crossed the scientist his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes. "That's a pity, because the transmitter stopped sending signals only a few minutes ago. It doesn't happen too often that a Shaymin appears here in Johto. But more important is, how great its strength can be. The repairs in sector D have been initiated, but proceed rather slowly," Professor Sebastian mumbled under his breath. "I hope you understand how import it is to catch that Shaymin. With a Shaymin under our control Team Rocket would have an unlimited source of power."

"We understand, professor," Hun said, throwing a sharp glare at her partner, which told him to keep quiet.

But instead, Attila snorted and snapped in his rage. "I still can't believe that a tiny Shaymin has destroyed our base. It seemed so weak," he hissed loudly.

The Professor arched one eyebrow suspiciously. "A Shaymin is still a legendary Pokémon despite its size." The scientist raised the remote which he held in his right hand and pressed a single button with his thumb. The picture on the giant screen changed and showed a map of the Johto region. Another click and the directions of wind and water flows appeared on the map, and a red dot in the middle of the sea as well. "We've received the last signal exactly twelve minutes ago," he explained, focusing on the red point in the picture. "Considering the wind speed and the direction of the wind, the storm will head further to the south."

"What is that?" Attila asked, pointing at the tiny green marks on the screen.

"A group of several islands called the Sevii Archipelago. If our calculations are correct, the storm will hit the islands and then vanish there," the scientist explained calmly. He pressed another button to zoom at the islands, enlarging the picture. "The archipelago has one main island and five smaller islands, all populated, around them is a group of several smaller islands but all uninhabited."

Attila's gaze wandered from the screen to the professor, and back. "You're not trying to tell us that the Pokémon will make it to the islands!" he shouted confused.

The scientist's expression was the only answer the agent received.

Suddenly, the red point of the map disappeared, but therefore appeared on another spot, blinking and beeping. The transmitter started to send the Pokémon's location again. But again, it disappeared from the screen. A sinister and satisfied smile crossed the professor's lip. "At second thoughts, we still might be lucky. Prepare your departure immediately that you can leave when we receive another signal. We mustn't waste more time," Sebastian said, but at the end there was a silent chuckle.

"Yes, sir," replied Hun and turned around to leave.

Before she had the chance to leave the room, the door opened once again and a common grunt ran in, he was totally out of breath. Behind him entered an unfamiliar agent with shoulder-length dark blue hair, olive green eyes, and a long dark grey coat. The atmosphere in the room cooled immediately. It was as if the agent was surrounded by ice.

"Professor, sir, he said the headquarters sent him with a mission!" the grunt exclaimed excited, but stepped aside as the man walked past him, ignoring him completely.

"My name is Pierce, I am agent of the first division," the man explained.

Again, the professor raised an eyebrow while he crossed his arms. "What a surprise. I'm wondering why they sent an Elite Officer," he said smugly with a smile on his lips. "I assume, there must be a pressing reason behind it, hm?"

The tension in the room was extreme, it was thick enough to be cut with a knife. "The mission has the rank A and _they _gave you the responsibility for it." The word 'they' made the scientist listen to him even more carefully. "Here you can find the other details about it." Pierce handed a brown envelope to the professor and remained silent, but studied his features and the features of his agents, Hun and Attila, quietly.

As Professor Sebastian was reading the papers he had to grin, a silent chuckle escaped his lips. His eyes and his gaze wandered across the papers over and over, it seemed like he was reading the same part several times. Without caring about the rest, he raised his head and glanced over the rims of his glasses. "Let me try to understand it. There is the presumption of a person who can talk to Pokémon verbally and telepathically?" he asked, also getting the agents' attention. First, he thought he misunderstood the meaning of the sentences, but after reading it again, he found the same truth and real meaning. He was impressed by what he read. "A person with the ability to communicate with Pokémon...very interesting, indeed. And they want me to investigate and examine this ability," he paused for a second before he chuckled again. "But there is a problem. First, it is only is a presumption, then you don't have any data about this person, neither the address, nor age or any other useful information." Sebastian snickered and cleared his throat. "This rather sounds like a joke to me."

"Our experts hacked into the servers of the Institution of Pokémon Science and examined the information. It is definitely not a joke, professor," Pierce told him, rather annoyed than impressed.

"But with the...given data it will be impossible to find the target," the professor complained. He felt a little insulted by getting such a silly and idiotic mission. As he turned his attention back to the document, his eyes suddenly opened a little wider. His expression changed to a serious one. "That changes the situation. But how are we supposed to find this person?" he asked curiously.

"That is my part of the mission, but I already have strong hunch. The Institution of Pokémon Science is set on Chrono Island, the fifth island of the Sevii Archipelago" Pierce grinned. The fact of the location surprised the scientist and his agents as well. Two targets in the same area, the luck seemingly turned to Team Rocket's side again. "And I am the only one who has the data of her whereabouts and name," said Pierce while he took the envelope again.

"Her?"

"We can only assume from the name that the target is female, but we aren't certain yet," Pierce explained and moved his hands a little while talking.

Curiosity shimmered in the eyes of Professor Sebastian. "So, what is the name of our mysterious target?"

"Hotaru Natsukawa."


	2. Hotaru Natsukawa

**Chapter 1: Hotaru Natsukawa**

The school bell of the Umeshima High school rang after lunch break, telling all students to go back to their classrooms. Crowds of students went into the school buildings and rushed not to come too late, all dressed in identical uniforms. The girls wore dark red skirts, black jackets with golden seams, and underneath white blouses and red ties. The boys wore long, black trousers instead of skirts.

In class 1-1 the teacher was already waiting. A woman in her early thirties, who wore a white blouse and a knee-long marine blue skirt, her brown hair was twisted into a tight knot without a single loose hair. She hid her eyes and her look behind her glasses, but the rest of her features revealed her strict personality. Impatiently, she was playing with the pencil in her left hand. Over and over made she hit it the clipboard she held in her other hand. The paper on the board contained all names of the students of her class.  
"Quiet please. Let's see who is present. Shizuka?" she asked, waiting for the answer.

"Yes!" a student exclaimed.

Quickly, she drew a fast tick on the paper next to the student's name. "Takano?"

Another, this time female, student announced her presence. "Yes! Here, Miss Morishita!"

Another tick.

"Sakurai? Sakurai Naomi?" the teacher asked.

"Here," said a girl with long, wavy, brown hair and green eyes, who had raised her hand. She tapped her index finger on her desk nervously, glancing at the desk next to hears. The student who sat next to Naomi was the only one missing in class, and Naomi knew the reason. She bit her lip and rolled her eyes annoyed._ Skipping class again?_ She talked to her currently absent friend in her thoughts.

"Natsukawa?" No answer. "Natsukawa?" the woman asked again. She glanced over the rim of her clipboard and found a desk, without the student. Her throat felt like it was blocked by something, her fingernails dug into the pencil and the corner of her lip twitched wildly. Suddenly, her cheeks became red in anger. Rapidly, the tension in the classroom increased and reached a very dangerous level. The students in her class already ducked, scared of her famous emotional outbursts. The next sounds was a crack, coming from the pencil which broke under the pressure in her hand. "She is missing again?! That is the second time in this week? She's been absent for nearly half of the year!" the woman screamed in her rage, forgetting her manners for a short moment. "I'll be right back," she stammered after a while, adjusted her glasses and threw the clipboard on the table. "Open page sixty-three in your books and start the exercises there."

After exiting, she slammed the door shut and dashed along the hallway to the teachers' lounge. The girl, Naomi, shook her head in disbelief. It was one of the best moments for a face-palm now. Meanwhile, the teacher Morishita ran down the stairs and rushed to the teachers' lounge. With all of her force, she nearly pulled the door out of the hinges. "She is absent again!" she yelled angrily.

One of her teacher colleagues raised his head, distracted from the documents he was reading before.

"This girl is absent again!" shouting, Morishita repeated and let herself drop in her armchair. "If I ever get my hands on her, I will..." the woman tried to shout, but got rudely interrupted.

"If you mean Natsukawa Hotaru...she called the school office in the morning, saying that she doesn't feel well," the man said, not paying any attention at his colleague's shouts and screams. "That means she is legally called in sick." The teacher opened one of the drawers of his desk, withdrew a tiny, yellow sheet of paper and put it on his desk, all while not taking his look from his documents he was reading.

Morishita inhaled deeply to calm herself a little. Hastily, she grabbed the paper and read it, but it was no wonder that she nearly ripped it apart in her rage. "I know that she is skipping school again! Where, in the name of Lugia, is she?" the teacher screamed until her cheeks glowed red. She didn't notice how her colleagues grinned and snickered.

* * *

**HOTARU NO HIKARI**

**蛍の光****  
****ホタルノヒカ****リ**

The sun shined just as brightly at the other end of the Chrono Island as well. The salty ocean water reflected the rays like mirrors, illuminating the sea and the reef that surrounded nearly the entire island. Swarms of Water-type Pokémon romped in safety between the stones and corrals. They had nothing to fear, especially not the human who was swimming above them. The reflected light only threw a shadow of her silhouette on the ground of the reef.

A girl dived near the reef, her curiosity directed at the many types and species of Pokémon, and the beautiful underwater nature. She swam deeper to get a better look at them and remained for a while, until she slowly ran out of oxygen. The girl pushed herself off from a rock at the bottom of the sea to get to the surface faster, it gave her enough drive for her to dash through the water like a torpedo to approach the surface. From her point she saw the waves above herself, rolling toward the beach. Her shoulder-length honey blonde hair danced in the current and the sunbeams got reflected in her steel blue eyes when she reached the surface. Oxygen filled her lungs, and thus she had new energy to dive again. Like a mermaid she disappeared in the sea again, and dived several meters deep, swimming there with a swarm of Remoraid. The group of Pokémon followed and imitated her movements, swimming as swarm around her like a shield.  
Smiling, the girl swam to the surface again and got carried closer to the beach by one wave. As the wave formed a pipe made of water, she stuck her head out to breathe again, before she disappeared under the mass of water.

To her surprise, she found two giant Mantine accompanying her along the shore. One swam above her and the other one beneath her.

She clung to the second Mantine that carried along the shore until she saw something drifting on the surface, a surfboard. Clearly, she mentioned the Mantine to turn around and swim closer to the surface. With only her head sticking out of the water, the girl surprised the Pokémon lying on the board. "Espeon," she scared it a little with her sudden appearance. "Don't fall asleep." With her hands she splashed some salty water at the Pokémon, waking it up from its slumber.

A hint of annoyance shimmered in Espeon's eyes. It had been fallen asleep as tiny waves had dandled it.

"Lazy thing," chuckled the girl and hopped on her board, nearly throwing Espeon off. She noticed the mountain of waves forming behind and mentioned Espeon to stand up. The Psychic-type Pokémon got up on its feet and went to the end of the board, standing before its Trainer. Meanwhile, the girl paddled with her hands to catch the coming wave.  
Suddenly, the water lifted the board up and the girl caught up an incredible speed. Quickly, she hopped to her feet and steered the board in the wave while Espeon enjoyed the ride without becoming all wet. The girl bent her knees to steer the board away from the wave and closer to the beach.

Espeon looked back at the open sea and found the next wave coming, but this one was a lot bigger than the last. "_Here is the next one, Hotaru!"_ it said in its thoughts.

The Trainer girl looked back and paddled with her hands and feet in the water to bring the board in the right position just like she did before. "I know!" she exclaimed and smiled, standing up again. A mountain made of water accelerated the board. The girl rode down the wave swiftly and steered inside the giant pipe of water which was forming around her. Once again, the two Mantine appeared, leading her through the tunnel. Abruptly, the ride ended as the Mantine jumped out of the wave, bringing the girl out of her balance. She fell into the water before the wave broke down as well.

Hotaru gasped for air as she stuck her head out of the water, she swam to her surfboard which she had found only a few meters away. "That was amazing, wasn't it, Espeon? Espeon?" Her Pokémon wasn't around, but suddenly the water arched and Espeon jumped out of it, hopping on the board again. "You act like a cat that is afraid of water," Hotaru chuckled amused. She clung to her board and swam back to the beach with it.

_"If you keep doing this, you will get gills one day,"_ Espeon told her mentally.

"Yeah, and your fur will change to brown one day, if you keep avoiding the water," the girl laughed and shoved the board through the waves. In the shallow water she finally grabbed it and carried back to her beach towel. She grabbed her towel and rubbed her hair dry, still feeling the salt water in her ears that bothered her a little. But the place was perfect for surfing. A hidden lagoon, supposedly dangerous because of the many Mantine swimming here, but Hotaru liked the presence of the Pokémon. She felt comfortable around them.

_"Hey, you've got a spectator," _Espeon told her, turning its head to a bunch of rocks.

Even Hotaru found a familiar person watching her, she had to smile. "There is no need to hide, Naomi," she exclaimed and shook her head to get rid of the water in her ears. With the same towel, she dried her legs, arms and the rest of her body before she put on her clothes, a green tank top and jeans shorts while still wearing her bikini underneath. "That salt itches behind my ears," the girl complained and kept drying her hair.

"You know, we already miss you at school," Naomi told her, walking to the other girl. She shifted from one leg to the other and glanced at the surfboard, then at Espeon, and then at Hotaru. "Miss Morishita did only scream in class today and was upset about your absence. And she announced a super-secret surprise test for tomorrow," explained Naomi while she stroked Espeon's head carefully, what seemed to comfort the Pokémon.

Hotaru looked at her in disbelief, she had to snicker loudly. "Super-secret surprise test? Oh dear, but what do you expect from a woman whose only goal it is to throw me out of school? Let me guess, she will ask about her favorite topic again? The effect of different berries? She is as predictable as a history book!" Hotaru snapped and threw her towel over her shoulder. In a swift move she picked up a water bottle and swallowed nearly the half of it in one gulp. "She thinks that students are only there to make them study twenty-four hours, seven days a week. She doesn't care about our lives, so why should I care about her class? She doesn't even know how a real berry looks like, because her nose only sticks in books. The nature is a stranger to her. And her science lessons are good for nothing." Hotaru appeared calm, but secretly she cursed at her teacher and her school.

Hesitating for a moment, Naomi wasn't sure if she should speak out her thoughts. "But it is still important for your future. And by the way, you will have no choice than to come to school tomorrow. The weather forecast said something about a storm, so you can forget about going surfing," the brown-haired girl said, leaning her left hand on her.

"Shoot," Hotaru mumbled and picked up her board, her bag and the towel, getting ready to leave the beach.

"You can't change it." Quiet like a mouse followed Naomi her friend back to the town, which wasn't too far away. She noticed Hotaru's and Espeon's constant glances at each other, and she knew that they had an inaudible conversation in this moment. She felt a little uncomfortable because it was strange to her, and perhaps she also felt ignored. Naomi knew Hotaru for quite a while now and could tell when she was talking to Espeon mentally. Though it was impressive, she could talk to Pokémon any time she wanted, without anyone even noticing it. Hotaru's relationship with Pokémon had always seemed strangely intimate, she seemed to enjoy the presence of a Pokémon more than the one of a human person. "H...Hotaru?" Naomi asked, running faster to catch up with her friend.

The blonde-haired girl turned her head to face her. "Hm?"

"What about a short stop at the market?" Naomi asked, still stammering.

With a nod gave Hotaru her answer. "Sure, I still need to buy some things.

_"Sweets?"_ Interrupted Espeon immediately.

"No," hissed Hotaru at the Pokémon strictly, making Naomi shudder. "You'll become fat one day. And I mean really fat. It is already unbelievable that you're allowed to eat candies and sweets. I should have never given you that stuff, you little junkie," she said, making the Pokémon shudder and duck this time.

All three of them remained silent on their way to the market. Several stands with food, exotic delicacies and fast-food, jewelry made of wood and shells, and other stuff were built on the market place of Chrono Town. The town had never had no real name, until the people used the name of the island for the town. Even though the island wasn't very big compared to the other islands in the archipelago, it had still around twenty thousand residents, though it wasn't the touristic goal. The only attraction was the daily market on the market place.  
Hotaru strolled between the stands, looking at the different offers curiously until she found a stand for berries.

Naomi watched silently how she packed several berries into a plastic bag before she paid. Hotaru's next target was the food stand that offered fried rice and noodles. She ordered the extra large portion of both, so her dinner was ensured. Again, Naomi watched her silently and prayed that Hotaru wouldn't hit someone with her surfboard.

"Got everything!" chirped Hotaru in a singsong voice and raised her bag before she tossed it to Espeon. The Pokémon jumped and caught the bags skilfully with its mouth, though it felt a little insulted for only being used to carry Hotaru's stuff around. "Okay, I will go home and take a shower now. The salt is itching me to death," she joked and laughed while scratching her head like crazy.

Nodding, Naomi walked next to Hotaru and followed her again, since she lived close by. But on their way neither of them said a single word. Hotaru brooded over possible topic to talk about but couldn't find one, and Naomi glanced at her over her shoulder, still feeling weird walking next to her. The tension in the air grew slightly, but not only the emotional one. A fresh breeze caught the girls' breath, letting them shiver slightly. Thick, grey rain clouds drifted above the island and hid the earlier blue sky. The wind became stronger and colder as well.

"Looks like it will start raining any moment," murmured Hotaru, her gaze tightly fixed on the clouds.

"Yes...I should better hurry a little," Naomi mumbled while she smiled, but it looked like a forced smile. She accompanied Hotaru to her apartment building, a building at the outer ring of the town. It was a lonely area which only contained several residential buildings, a pharmacy, a flower shop, a tiny super market, and a park where children played. And one of the buildings, a light yellow painted building containing about ten apartments in three floors was Hotaru's home. It had two entrances, and Hotaru went to the first one. She opened the door and leaned against it, keeping it open for Espeon. "Eh...Hotaru?" asked Naomi nervously, but got Hotaru's attention immediately. "Can...can you show me your home? Only once? Because I have never been in your apartment before," she explained while playing with the seam of her right sleeve.

A smile crossed Hotaru's lips, though she shook her head. "I'm sorry, but it looks really messy. Another time, okay?" she said, rather mumbled and entered the building. "Bye."

Naomi raised her hand to wave good-bye, but the door had already closed again. "Bye..."

Sighing, Hotaru went to wall with the mailboxes, she placed her surfboard on the wall, withdrew a key ring with a bunch of keys hanging on it, and opened the mailbox. A single letter was inside to Hotaru's surprise. She pulled it out of the mailbox, closed the tiny metallic box. Suddenly, she heard the door closing again, her neighbor had just left but without even saying 'hello' as usual. Hotaru's gaze wandered to the tiled floor before she grabbed her board and left the lobby. She avoided taking the lift and walked upstairs instead, but stopped before the window, finding Naomi in front of the building.

The girl glanced over her shoulder a last time before she left to go home, she nearly ran away, away from the building.

Hotaru watched her leaving, but decided to keep going. After a while she arrived in the second floor and went to the end of the corridor where the last door was. Above the bell hung a tiny name plate, written on it was the name 'Natsukawa'. Hotaru's apartment. Hotaru unlocked the door and entered her home, before she closed the door again. A lovely but weak scent greeted her sensible nose. Carefully, she leaned her surfboard on the wall, jumped out of her shoes and went into the living room, opening the sliding door to the balcony. A fresh and salty breeze came into her apartment. Espeon followed her steps, but also noticed her expression.

_"I still feel the distance between you and Naomi," _Espeon said mentally.

Hotaru looked up and smiled at the Pokémon, she heard its thoughts and sentences inside her head. "You think so?"

Espeon nodded.

"Perhaps... because she still feels strange around me, I can see it in her eyes. But I can't blame her actually," Hotaru said. She stored the food bags in her kitchen before she came back into her living room. For some reason she felt no more hunger. Not even for her favorite food, fried rice. Lazily, yet exhausted she let herself drop on her couch, with her arms folded behind her head. Her gaze wandered to the orchid flowers standing on nearly every shelf in her apartment, but her eyes focused on the picture frame that was standing before the orchids. It was a photo of three people. Hotaru as child and two adults. Her expression fell, but her blue eyes were filled with yearning mixed with loneliness.  
Nevertheless, she leaned her head back and tried to relax a bit. "You know," Hotaru started, mumbling, "People will always avoid things which they are not comfortable with. That goes for other people as well. They might not say it or tell you, but you should never force them to do something they don't like, even if they maintain the contrary."

Still listening, Espeon hopped on the couch and enjoyed being stroked by its Trainer.

"You know, ignoring is the best way to avoid something. And acting interested is a way not to hurt others' feelings, even when the truth looks different," Hotaru mumbled, her gaze directed at the ceiling. Her smile on her lips faded and it was not an honest one. "Sometimes it is better to keep lying, because the truth can be painful."

The Pokémon gently touched Hotaru with its nose. Then, it hopped off the cough out of the sudden, picked the letter up from the coffee table with its mouth and brought it to Hotaru.

"Thank you," Hotaru mumbled weakly. Not very interested, she looked at the letter but couldn't find the name of the sender. She opened it by tearing the paper envelope apart and fumbled with the document inside to pull it out. She found the logo of the organization who had sent the letter. The Institution of Pokémon Psychology and Behavior Research, or the short way, the Institution of Pokémon Science. A loud sigh escaped her lips in annoyance.

_"Who sent it?" _asked her Psychic-type Pokémon.

"The hospital and the research lab again! They want to test me again, but only routine tests like physical and psychological condition, as usual," Hotaru muttered. "But they're getting on my nerves. Every three months I have to appear there only for their research. Physicians are sadists who only see patients and people as guinea pigs. And the next appointment for me... is tomorrow." Hotaru growled a little while sighing and placed her legs on the couch as well. "Great...that means I will go to school, write that stupid test and then I will disappear again." she mumbled quietly, but annoyed. "Lucky me..."

Hotaru felt the last warm sunbeams on her cheeks before the clouds covered the sky completely. Slowly, she got back up on her feet and went out on the balcony. It was bigger than conventional balconies, therefore was Hotaru's apartment smaller. On the sides were mats made of raffia, preventing the neighbors to see Hotaru's balcony. It was kind of like a fence for Hotaru that somehow cut her off from the rest. She only had the view over the ocean from her balcony.

And she always enjoyed the view.

The girl put her elbows on the handrail, shifted, and leaned her head in the palms of her hands. She sighed loudly and closed her eyes.


	3. A Hedgehog On An Island

**Chapter 2: A Hedgehog On An Island  
**

Rain. Endless rain, a strong wind, thunder, and lightning. The storm hit the Sevii Archipelago like a punch and the damage was tremendous. Several palm trees got ripped out of the ground, the roofs of the houses and buildings suffered and several windows broke under the pressure of the wind and rain. All people stayed in their houses in that night, comforted by the warmth.

Wild Pokémon also stayed in their nests in the jungle of Chrono Island. Frightened, scared and nervously they watched the storm swept across the island and hoped that it would become weaker soon.

Only one Pokémon couldn't find a place to hide. The reindeer-like Pokémon, Shaymin, fought its way through the storm. It hadn't eaten anything since days now, but still found the strength to keep going. The tiny flower in its mouth had lost nearly all petals, but the Pokémon carried the flower like a treasure. It was Shaymin's holiest treasure, only with the flower's help it was able to escape. An itching and everlasting feeling beneath its fur that had bugged it since its escape. Out of the sudden, if felt a stinging pain on exactly that spot, making it cry out and yelp. The next surprise was a thunder bolt stroking the island. In its shock the Pokémon dropped the flower, accidentally.

"Mii!"

At the same time, someone woke up in her apartment, due to the loud bang of the thunder bolt. Hotaru's eyes snapped open in shock, she sat up immediately. Cold sweat covered her face, and she felt the low level of oxygen in her apartment. It was the worst moment. The storm had settled around the island and kept the current position. Slowly and still half-asleep Hotaru hopped off her bed and left her bedroom, heading to the balcony in her living room. Hesitating, she thought about opening the sliding door, but she eventually did. A strong wind met her face, making her gasp for air for a moment. Her curtains fluttered uncontrollably, and rain invaded the room. "Stupid rain," she mumbled, annoyed, and tried to close the balcony door again, but there was something that caught her attention.

In the darkness of the night fell something to the earth. It wasn't a shooting star, but shined just as brightly.

Hotaru forgot about the storm for a moment, she rushed out on her balcony and tried to watch the event. Something fell from the sky, like stone, but it somehow moved. Curiously, Hotaru narrowed her eyes, though the wind whipped her face, she could barely see through her fluttering hair. "That is...a..." the girl mumbled as she recognized a weak silhouette of a Pokémon. The light coming from the Pokémon became brighter and nearly blinded Hotaru. She couldn't even tell, if it was a flash or simply her imagination.  
What she watched was Shaymin. Its body changed and the light created by it seemed so strong. The Pokémon fell and approached the jungle of Chrono Island from above. The moment it hit the earth, a loud explosion echoed across the island, followed by a giant shock wave.

_"Help!"_

Hotaru felt the wave reaching the town, making the island tremble, literally, just as if an earthquake had surprised the town. The girl had to close her eyes and duck. Was that real what she had just experienced? And she was sure that she had heard a voice for a second. Was that real? Her hands and knees were still shaking, it felt like a dream.

Stronger rain whipped in Hotaru's face now and she quickly hopped into the living room again before she shut the sliding door. Her breathing became slightly faster and she felt her knees giving in. Then, Hotaru collapsed and dropped to her knees.

* * *

A strange tension filled the air the next day. The storm had vanished in the middle of the night and it appeared if that storm had never happened, though there was a lot of damage in Chrono Town. But nothing that couldn't be fixed in a few days of work.

Speaking of work.

Hotaru glared at the sheet of paper before her. Nervously, she played with her pen and chewed on it, then with her hair that she had bound into a high ponytail. The given questions and the tasks of the test weren't so difficult, but the girl could barely concentrate. She wrote something, but crossed it out again. Her concentration had gone on holidays, literally. The event of the night wouldn't go out of her mind. Was it really a Pokémon that she had seen? Or did her imaginations just play a prank on her? It was the point that nearly made her go insane.

"Time is over. Please, hand in the tests now," Morishita-sensei said, staring at her watch.

Hotaru nearly rammed her head on her desk after she finished the last sentence. It was close, but she finished and answered all questions of the test, and immediately it got collected by a student who took the papers to the teacher. A loud sigh escaped Hotaru's lips as she leaned back in her chair, not worrying about it anymore. Her marks depended on the teacher's mood, anyway, and everyone knew Miss Morishita hated Hotaru. The girl leaned her chin in the palm of her hand and rolled her eyes in annoyance. Just the appearance of her teacher made her want to jump out of the window.

"I know that the half of the class won't pass anyway," the teacher said, adjusting her glasses and looking at the test sheets. "Typical for you!" she shouted, suddenly.

_Here we go again. _Hotaru rolled her eyes again and shook her head in annoyance. "But that was obvious, since you're the lousiest and laziest class I have ever seen in my life," the girl mumbled, trying to imitate her teacher.

Miss Morishita walked around in circles, raising her index-finger as she spoke. Her tone was harsh and heartless. "But that was obvious, since you're the lousiest and laziest I have ever seen in my life," she stated angrily, but didn't notice Hotaru's comments. Every student in the class had to chuckle, and it soon turned into a silent laughing. "Quiet! There is nothing to laugh about!" the teacher yelled once more, but no one took her seriously.

"My true skills and talents aren't esteemed in this lousy school," Hotaru mumbled, smiling. "I never wanted to become a teacher. I hate children," she imitated her teacher again, acting exactly like Miss Morishita. Arrogant, ignorant, and cold-hearted.

In her rage, Miss Morishita's cheeks became red again, it was the signal that she was about to burst again, like she had done so many times before. Even the other teachers of the school knew about her outbursts and rage attacks. "But what can I expect? My true skills aren't esteemed in this lousy school. I never wanted to become a teacher, anyway. I hate children!" she stated loudly, making the class laugh even louder and harder. Obviously, she had no idea that she repeated Hotaru's words, though those statements were normal for the teacher. Almost everyone broke out in laughter and tears. Even Hotaru couldn't help but snicker at Morishita's daily effort to get the class under control. "Be quiet now!" she screamed, her face swelling up again. "But soon, very soon, I won't have to keep struggling with you anymore! I will transfer to another school in Johto!"

"Seriously, how did she get the idea that someone else would want an old hag as teacher?" Hotaru whispered to Naomi, who sat next to her. "Okay, I will leave you now. Tell me if she will throw chairs around again," she said quietly as a mousy, but had to chuckle at the remembrance.

"Sure," Naomi whispered back, winking.

"Miss Morishita, I have an appointment and have to leave now!" Hotaru exclaimed, still raising her hand like a good student would do.

The woman turned her head to face her student, though her face had changed to a deep shade of red. Single hairs stuck out of her recently perfect hairstyle, and she was breathing heavily. She sounded like a steam engine that was running since days without break. "Natsukawa! How dare you int-"

"I have an official appointment and an official letter that confirms it," Hotaru grinned, pulling the letter out of her bag and waving with it.

Enraged and furious, the woman ripped the document out of Hotaru's hand while the girl kept grinning. She had to read it twice before she understood the text completely. With a snort, Morishita-sensei turned her head out of the view from the students. The reason was the twitching corner of her lip. "Then... come with me..." she mumbled, still with rage boiling in her veins. The teacher left the room, but nearly crushed the knob of the door in her anger.  
A strange feeling in Hotaru's stomach told her not to, but she had no other choice. Hotaru jumped to her feet, packed away her pencil case, and grabbed her shoulder bag to leave the room. She winked as good-bye, and the moment the door closed behind her, the class started laughing so hard. They almost cried tears.

Meanwhile, Hotaru walked behind her teacher, still rolling her eyes. She heard her teacher perfectly, mumbling something mean about the girl, but Hotaru didn't care. The insults were already familiar to her, though Hotaru kept her resistance clear, what Morishita-sensei hated. Their way led to the teachers' lounge, where Miss Morishita filled in a document, something similar to a sick note, for the girl that confirmed her legal absence. In silence watched Hotaru her teacher and the other teachers in the room. She hated this feigned and strange atmosphere in the room, it reminded her of ignorance somehow. "Here," Morishita-sensei hissed and handed the paper to Hotaru roughly.

"I wish you a nice weekend, as well," Hotaru smirked, waved good-bye with the paper and left the room.

"I hate her!" shouted the woman shortly after the door closed. Her colleagues chuckled and snickered. Morishita's anger always promised entertainment. While adjusting her glasses, she leaned on her desk to rest a little.

One of the physical education teachers laughed and turned in his armchair. "You should take a week off of work," he said to her.

"No, the girl needs to get thrown out of this school! I can't stand her!" Morishita yelled, just like she always did. She walked around her desk, without any direction in her mind. Over and over, she wiped with her hand across her face, wiping away the sweat. "But I guess I am not the only one. The class seems to avoid her. It is only logical. Her rebellious behaviur and personality frightens the other students. But what can you expect from a child who lives without parents?"

Another teacher shook his head slightly in disappointment, before he got up from his chair. He mentioned Miss Morishita to look behind the door of the room.

Gasping, the woman dashed to the door and ripped it open. She found Hotaru walking around the corner and disappearing behind it. "She..." A quiet growl escaped her lips, when she adjusted her glasses and blouse. Ashamed of herself, she went back into the room. The girl had opened her screaming and yelling, as well as her opinion about Hotaru. "Well, everyone else is thinking it," the woman stuttered. It was her only excuse. Her cheeks turned slightly red in embarrassment.

Shortly after leaving the school building, Hotaru glanced over her shoulder, back at the building for a moment. Then, she lowered her head.

"Oh, come on, Hotaru. Don't get oversensitive now," she told herself as she slapped both of her cheeks. A fake smile crossed her face, but it vanished shortly after. The only way to cheer herself up a little, was the presence of a good friend now. Hotaru smiled, she opened her bag and got her Poké Ball and released Espeon. Happy to see the sunlight now, the Pokémon shook its head. "Hey, there," Hotaru stroked it behind its long, pink ears.

_"Skipping class again?" _Espeon asked, mentally.

The girl shook her head as answer. "Nope. Remember the letter? The appointment in the hospital," Hotaru explained while she loosened her tie and pulled it over her head. It always felt like a collar that oppressed her. She also hated her school uniform, but she had no other choice than to wear it. The next she did was taking off her jacket and binding the sleeves of it around her hip. "Better," the girl mumbled, though her thoughts weren't about the hospital and the upcoming physical and psychological tests. She had to think about the last night again. The light she saw wasn't the one of a shooting star, Hotaru knew it.

_"What's wrong?" _asked Espeon and rubbed its head on the girl's right leg.

Shifting from one leg to another, Hotaru bit her tongue nervously. "Nothing. Let's go," Hotaru muttered under her breath. Her goal was the Chrono Hospital that was located at the other end of the town. The shortest way to reach this location was taking the bus. Carefully, Hotaru set one foot before the other, she couldn't even concentrate on the traffic anymore and was simply led by Espeon guiding her. She found the next bus stop around the corner of the street, but without any people standing there. The plants and trees around her were still wet and covered by water drops, but the sun had already dried the asphalt of the streets. Silently, she waited at the bus stop, but tapped her right foot on the ground, impatiently. _Seriously...what was that? If it was a Pokémon, it was one I have never seen before..._ she thought. Without making a sound she waited, captured in her thoughts.

As the bus came, Espeon shoved Hotaru closer to the curb side, she had nearly not noticed the vehicle. Even Espeon wondered at the Trainer girl. It was very rare to see her in such a mood, or rather behavior. Her gaze was constantly fixed on the ground, then at the single, vacant seats in the bus. And unconsciously, she decided to take the seat at the far end of the bus. The vehicle was nearly empty, and it kept driving to the outskirts of the town, without stopping at the bus stops. Nobody wanted to leave. However, Hotaru felt more than uncomfortable. She felt cornered and captured in the tiny bus. The sides seemed to come closer.

_If I skip the appointment now..._ Hotaru thought, looking out of the window. The bus drove close to the edge of the forest of the island. And the fact kept pushing Hotaru. Nervously, she tapped her foot on the vehicle floor in a rapid and constant speed.

Before she could even think about it, she already pressed the button on one of the bars, which made the bus halt at the next station. _I'm so stupid!_ the girl told herself and jumped to her feet. She hopped out of the bus, followed by Espeon.

The feeling of being caught vanished, and she could relax again, but only a little.

"Espe! Epseon!" the Pokémon exclaimed. _"__What is wrong? But the hospital is..."_

"I know," muttered the girl with narrowed eyes. "But I have to do something... I don't care about the stupid examinations!" she said before. For a short moment, she stopped walking. "I was sure I had heard someone...or something last night. Someone needs our help," she stated, this time honestly. Saying the truth made her heart feel lighter. And the Pokémon always knew, when something was bothering Hotaru.

The bus stop was right before a huge, wooden bridge, one of the paths which led into the jungle. Signs warned about the threat and danger of landslides and impassable trails. Strong rainfalls have always made the paths slippery and slackened the soil. Plus, uprooted trees could always block the ways. However, Hotaru didn't care. She had a strong hunch about the location of the creature she had heard. The center of the jungle.

Confidently, and full of curiosity, Hotaru crossed the bridge. The water level was higher than usual, due to the rainwater that flew into the river now.

It was the girl's last chance to go back, but she ignored it, though a strange, nearly painful feeling in her stomach told her not to.

Hotaru walked straight along the path that led her through the forest, but turned in front of a creek. The flow of the water was quite strong, stronger than she remembered it. The girl took a run-up and jumped over the creek, after her jumped Espeon. Suddenly, she felt herself sinking slowly. She was stuck in a mud puddle. Hotaru fought to get out of the mud and the dirt. And the accident came, the girl tripped and almost fell into the puddle, but avoided the scenario by catching her balance again.

Espeon followed the girl silently, but sensed danger right in front of them. It couldn't tell, if it was a natural danger, but the feeling bugged the Pokémon.

Abruptly, Hotaru jumped back as the soul beneath her feet loosened and began to slide down the slope.

_"Are you really sure? You can do this another time! When it is drier out here!" _complained the Pokémon, trying to free its paws from the muddy puddles.

A strange glare met Espeon's eyes, which made the Pokémon shudder. "Nope. I have to find out what happened. Now!" Hotaru exclaimed, climbing up the slope by pulling herself up some roots and vines. Slowly but certainly, she felt the presence of the Pokémon hiding in the jungle. There were so many, but still scared and frightened after the storm.  
Broken branches and even broken trees made the way even more complicated, plus the mud and the many creeks of rainwater.

Coming closer to the middle of the jungle, the girl found more and more damage, and as she climbed up another slope, her eyes widened in shock. A whole part of the forest was destroyed. Trees, broken like matches, like ninepins, surrounded her. It wasn't the result of a storm, not even of the strongest, the view reminded of a giant and powerful explosion. Roots were ripped out of the soil, plants torn apart, grass and moss covered in mud, and the leaves torn off the branches.  
It was a giant mess.

The direction in which the trees had fallen portended at the place of the impact. It was similar to a crater left by an asteroid. Hotaru ran to the crater and studied her surroundings carefully. "I knew it wasn't a lightning strike," she mumbled, searching for the reason of the explosion. Another trace in the mud captured her attention, it led directly to another stream in the forest. But nothing else, only more broken branches and grass. "Nothing..." Hotaru muttered as she was observing the area, but her next surprised, rather shocked her. As she stepped closer to the patch of grass, it suddenly squealed in a high-pitched voice.

"Miii!"

Hotaru let out a loud scream and stepped back, losing her balance again and falling to the muddy ground, nearly landing on Espeon. "Ow! What..." she exclaimed with eyes wide open.

The green patch suddenly moved, it had legs! Shyly, the creature showed its appearance, it was a hedgehog with white and green fur, flowers on the sides of its face, and yellow spots on the green fur that looked like grass. "Mi! Mii!" the Pokémon squirmed and ran away from the girl. It seemed weak and exhausted, the hedgehog was at the edge to collapse.

"Wait!" exclaimed Hotaru and chased after the hedgehog Pokémon. She rushed to the strange Pokémon and caught up with it, but it kept running away. As she bent down, the Pokémon curled up into a ball in its fear, its tiny body was trembling heavily. Slowly, Hotaru approached the Pokémon not to frighten it again. "Hey, there, little one. I'm not going to hurt you," she said in a gentle and caring voice. Still, the Pokémon curled up, but the girl heard it whimpering. "Don't be afraid," Hotaru spoke and tried to pet it. She sensed its body cramping and tensing. It was more than just scared, the Pokémon was nearly frightened to death. "I won't do anything to you," Hotaru spoke in a soft voice, trying to comfort the Pokémon.

The hedgehog relaxed a little and showed its petite face. The first word that came into the Trainer's mind was 'cute'. Unforunately, the Pokémon nearly cried as it glanced at Hotaru with its innocent, big wide eyes. Fear shimmered in its eyes like thousands of tiny crystals.

Smiling, Hotaru picked the hedgehog and cradled it in her arms. "See? There is no reason to be afraid, little one," the girl whispered and laid her hand on the Pokémon's forehead. "Seems like you have a slight fever, but don't worry, I will take care of you." She stroked the Pokèmon's head before she got up on her feet.

"Mii..." the Pokémon muttered, but a weak smile crossed its mouth.

"You're so cute," Hotaru chuckled and held the Pokémon closer to herself, cuddling it with the tip of her nose. "But what kind of Pokémon are you?"

Confused, the Pokémon gazed at her and crocked its head. It was exhausted. "Mii?" it cheeped quietly. "Miii!" Suddenly, it squirmed in pain and struggled in Hotaru's arms. The Pokémon cried, sensing the fluent pain beneath its fur and skin, it had turned from an itching into a burning feeling. The hedgehog almost jumped out of Hotaru's arms, but the girl tried to comfort it.

"Shhh, calm down," Hotaru said and put the Pokémon on a fallen and dead tree trunk. "Let's see..." she said and carefully stroked through the Pokèmon's fur to search of the reason of its pain. Her eyes snapped open in shock, as she found a deep injury. A deep, sore wound had made it suffer. With caution, the Trainer felt the fur and the wound, she also found something hard beneath its fur. A gristle? An inflammation? No, something with the form of a bullet. Suspicion came up in the girl's mind. "Okay, this could hurt a little, but just trying to help you," she said. Hotaru slowly squeezed exactly the hard spot beneath the green, grass-like fur. Shaymin cried out in pain again, but endured it. The wound curved, there was obviously something stuck beneath the Pokémon's skin. Again, she squeezed the wound with her thumbs, then with more power, but still carefully not to hurt the hedgehog.  
_Almost,_ Hotaru thought, and with one last squeeze dropped a tiny capsule out of the wound, making it bleed again.

The Pokémon cried loudly, tears streamed down its soft cheeks.

Hotaru cuddled it in her arms like she did before to comfort it. "It's okay. You did it, my little friend," she whispered. In her suspicion, she took the tiny capsule-like thing between her thumb and index-finger and stared at it. Obviously, it was a metallic capsule, with the size of a rice grain, but it had tortured the Pokémon so much. When she took a closer look, she found a tiny, nearly not visible light blinking in the inside of the capsule.

A growl escaped Hotaru's lips, anger burned inside her, and she felt her blood boiling within her veins. All of this was the work of a human. Possibly Pokémon Hunters. The girl's eyes narrowed and her hands became tight fists. How could people hurt Pokémon without feeling guilty or bad? It was simply the worst. But then, it hit her. The blinking was some kind of signal, perhaps a transmitter signal. She put the capsule on the trunk, picked up a rock from the ground, and smashed the threatening thing with the stone to destroy it. For a second, she felt her heart missing a beat before he Pokémon's sobs brought Hotaru back to reality as well, she had to do something to mitigate the hedgehog's pain. Immediately. Hotaru turned her head around, seeking some herbs which would perhaps be helpful, and she found some at the creek's edge. In a rush, she dashed to the plant, tore off some single leaves and squashed them in her hand, squeezing the plant juice out of the leaves.

The Pokémon panted and breathed heavily, but the tension in its body decreased. Finally, the pain was gone after a while. "Thank...you," panted the hedgehog.

"You're welco-" Hotaru's jaw almost dropped to the ground the moment she realized the fact. Had she just heard the Pokémon talking? Verbally? No, its mouth didn't move a bit. She heard it with telepathy, but it wasn't a mental one. Even Espeon heard the Pokémon's words and jumped in surprise. "Di...did...did you...just talk?" Hotaru asked the Pokémon in disbelief.

"Why? You can talk as well," mumbled the Shaymin irritated. The ability to talk was simply natural and normal for the Pokémon.

"Yeah, bu...but...I mean with words. I can hear your words!" gasping, Hotaru tried to explain while she waved with her hands, hastily. "Ah, forget about it. But it is still amazing. I have never seen a talking Pokémon before," she said and leaned her chin in her crossed arms, which she laid on the trunk as she knelt before it. "You're something special, little one."

Shaymin blinked a few times. "I'm not little. I'm Shaymin," the Pokémon said and gazed at her with a confused look. "And I've never met a nice human before."

"Why?"

The Pokémon hesitated. Its expression changed and told Hotaru how it felt. Frightened, desperate, and afraid. In other words, the Pokémon called Shaymin was a nervous and exhausted wreck. It was clear that something bothered and scared Shaymin, and it had to do with the transmitter capsule. "Well...I escaped from a horrible place. Evil humans have done so many painful things to me. The thing beneath my skin...they have done this...I don't know how. And they always made me change myself," the hedgehog explained, stuttering in fear.

Hotaru couldn't understand a single word, or rather the meaning of its words. "Change yourself?" she asked.

"Yes...I ...I don't know how to explain it...I'm sorry," the Shaymin mumbled and lowered its head.

Something stung inside Hotaru. She felt so bad for the Pokémon, seeing the crying hedgehog in front of her. "It's okay. You don't have to apologize," Hotaru said. Again, she caressed the Pokémon's forehead before she laid her hand on its head. Her breathing slowed down, her eyes closed, and Hotaru focused on Shaymin. Her mind was blank, she thought of nothing, and all of a sudden, she found herself seeing Shaymin's memories. It was like a film playing in her head. She saw what Shaymin had seen with its own eyes.  
First, it was dark, but a weak light surrounded her. Then, the room around her was trembling before the darkness vanished. Hotaru saw Shaymin's recent birth. How it hatched from an egg. She found herself in a strange room with bars, a cage, which was in a truck. The next was another room, with many people in white coats. Literally, Hotaru felt Shaymin's pain, how the capsule got injected into Shaymin, how it collected energy and released it, creating a huge explosion. Over and over. She saw Shaymin's body changing, it looked like a reindeer now, and somehow she had a weird, but lovely scent in her nose. Then, another explosion, and a storm.

Hotaru's eyes snapped open and she backed away from the Pokémon. Cold sweat covered her face. What she had seen was frightening. She had experienced the Pokèmon's pain. Evil people was even understated. What kind of person would do such experiments with Shaymin? At the moment, Hotaru was almost as exhausted as Shaymin, after seeing its past.

_"Are you okay?" _asked Espeon.

Nervously, Hotaru nodded, but she could barely stand up. "Yes...I'm alright," she stammered. Her voice was trembling and her heart racing. For a good reason, she felt sick. The memories she had just seen were terrifying and so real. "But how come you escaped?" Hotaru asked.

"They made me change with a flower. And...in this body I was stronger, but it never held on forever. Only for a short time, and only when I smelled the scent of that flower. So, one day I had the chance, stole one and escaped. I got into that storm, and above that island I lost the flower. The last thing I remember is how I fell down," the Pokémon told her, it was at the point of crying again.

_So, this was the light I saw..._ Hotaru thought secretly, remembering the shooting star-like appearance. "I'm sorry for you, Shaymin. But don't worry, you're safe here. I will take care of you. By the way, I almost forget, my name is Hotaru," Hotaru spoke in a soft and caring tone, when she took Shaymin in her arms again.

Suddenly, Espeon started growling and stepped before Hotaru, protectively.

"What's wrong, Espeon?" the girl asked. In the next moment, she noticed a silhouette coming out of the jungle, a Houndoom. It growled, bared its teeth and approached Hotaru and her Pokémon. Immediately, Hotaru got up on her feet and stepped back, Espeon as well. Hotaru sensed danger, threatening danger coming toward her. The Houndoom didn't think of stopping, instead it came closer to Hotaru, but barking and growling.

Shaymin's body stiffened and cramped as the saw the Pokémon. It dug its head in Hotaru's chest to hide itself somehow. "_Oh, no. Please, you have to run!" _the Pokémon talked mentally to the Trainer.

In a fast move, Hotaru sprinted to her right, trying to run, but another Pokémon came out of the nowhere. A Muk unbent and blocked Hotaru's way with its slimy body. Immediately, the girl jumped back. "What is going on here?" she mumbled. A stinging and burning pain hurt in her stomach, it was the suspicion of great danger coming closer.

"Well, it is a surprise how far you've made it," a cold, male voice snickered.

Hotaru glanced over her shoulder slowly. An icy shudder met her spine as she saw a man with shoulder-length blue hair walking out of the woods. The agent of Team Rocket, Pierce.

He approached the girl step by step and grinned, then he directed his gaze at Shaymin. "It seems like you have found a new friend," he said before he bent down and picked up the tiny, now broken, transmitter. "Unfortunately, it won't help you at all," the man mumbled under his breath, then he stared at Hotaru. His icy glare made her shiver and tremble. His eyes. His eyes were so cold, so heartless. Hotaru saw the danger coming from him and felt nothing but an evil aura around him. It was like ice surrounded him. The blood froze in Hotaru's veins, making it impossible for her to move. The only thing she felt was pure fear.  
"You made a big mistake, girl. If you don't want to get harmed, then hand over the Pokémon and leave," Pierce hissed at her.

Gritting her teeth, Hotaru stepped back and glared at the man. She didn't reply to his threats, but kept searching for a way to escape. Unconsciously, she held Shaymin closer to her body to protect it. The Trainer slowly moved to another direction, but the next bad surprise just waited.

Another person came out of the forest, and cut off Hotaru's way. It was the silver-haired agent Hun.

"There is no way for you to escape, so forget about it, girl," Pierce snickered as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"You're the people who are after Shaymin," Hotaru stated, her eyes narrowed and her gazed fixed on Pierce. "What do you want here?"

Another person chuckled in a sinister way, this time a man with a deeper voice. "Isn't that obvious?" It was Attila, Hun's partner, who approached Hotaru this time, constraining the girl.

Nervously and hastily, Hotaru glared at all of the agents and their Pokémon. They surrounded her and Espeon. With a calculating look, she searched for a way out of this situation desperately, her fear glimmered in her eyes. W_hat now? Who are those guys!? _Once more, Houndoom jumped at her, trying to bite her, but Espeon protected its Trainer. The sudden shock made Hotaru stumble over a root. She fell to the ground, but kept Shaymin her arms tightly. "Leave Shaymin alone!" she exclaimed, still with a calm voice. "Or else..."

Attila cut her off with his laughter. "Or else what? What will you do? A little girl?" he mocked her.

"This is getting on my nerves," stated Hun. "Let's get this over with."

"I agree," said Pierce and nodded. His grin grew on his lips, which made Hotaru shiver. Immediately, his Houndoom jumped at Hotaru and spat out a big flame. It attacked her with Flamethrower. The girl ducked and ran to dodge the fire while Espeon protected her with Psybeam, but another Flamethrower came and surprised the Pokémon. The fire surrounded Espeon and nearly burned its sensible skin, making the Pokémon yelp in pain. In the same time, Hotaru got attacked by Houndoom directly. It tackled her and sent her back a few meters. It was more painful than it looked.

The hit was strong and robbed Hotaru's breath. She coughed loudly and dropped to her knees. Tears came up in her eyes. Her body was still shaking from the attack, but Hotaru found the strength to raise her head and look at the agents.

"But don't say I haven't warned you," Pierce said, approaching the girl grinning. "Hand over the Pokémon!"

Hotaru crawled back, trying to get away from him, but he pushed her backwards with nothing but his cold presence. The distance between them minimized as Hotaru touched a massive tree with her back. "And if I won't?" she asked bravely. In her fear, she press herself closer to the tree. Her eyes grew wider at every single step Pierce came closer.

"Let me just say, you will regret it," Pierce said. He narrowed his eyes at the girl and snickered.

Growling, Hotaru glared at him, but gulped. _This is bad..._

Hotaru was trapped like a mouse now.


	4. Encounter Team Rocket

**Chapter 3: Encounter Team Rocket**

Hotaru's gaze wandered around hastily, in the hope to find a way out of this situation. She felt like trapped mouse, which was surrounded by cats. Only that Hotaru got surrounded by the Team Rocket Agents. She stepped back, pressing her back further on the tree that kept her from running.

"I will say it a last time, hand over that Shaymin!" Pierce snapped impatiently.

"And I will say it a last time. Forget it," Hotaru exclaimed, holding Shaymin even closer to her body. Espeon jumped in front of her, trying to protect her from the criminals. _"__Keep calm!"_ Hotaru said to her Pokémon mentally. "_If you're the first one attacking, then we will lose for sure." _Her gaze wandered to Houndoom slowly, then to Muk. Only their aura told Hotaru how strong they were. Well-trained, with a high level and dangerous attacks. These people were anything but normal civilians. Another step to the side and Muk approached her immediately.

With a hiss under his breath Pierce clearly showed his annoyance, which made Hotaru shiver. His eyes, his cold eyes frightened her and made her blood freeze. All muscles in her body cramped under the mental pressure. "Bad decision, girl," snickered Pierce before he flicked his fingers. Rapidly, Houndoom jumped at Hotaru with its mouth wide open. The Pokémon suddenly spat out a giant flame that came toward Hotaru. Instantly, Espeon jumped between its Trainer and the fire, attacked with Psybeam, and thus hindered the flame to reach Hotaru.

This time the next attack came from Muk. The Sludge Bomb nearly hit Hotaru, but she dodged them and ran away from the sludge and toxic mud that had hit the tree behind her several times. The toxic acid even etched holes into the bark, and by watching it, Hotaru knew how lucky she just was. Then, suddenly, mud bombs flew toward her, but her shoulder bag stopped them. Quickly, Hotaru pulled Espeon's Poké Ball out of the bag, threw it off her shoulder before the poison could touch her, and finally she saw how the bag melted and etched away. _"__Darn it! Espeon, we have no other choice!" _Hotaru exclaimed in her mind. "Let's go! Use Swift!" Hotaru yelled. Espeon attacked at the same time as Muk did again. Stars and sludge hit each other and held back both attacks, still to Hotaru's advantage. The impact of both attacks caused smoke and whirled up the dust from the ground, giving Espeon cover. The gem on Espeon's forehead blinked a few times and sensed its enemies' auras and predicted their next moves. The Pokémon didn't need to see in this fight. _"__Now, use your Swift Attack as long as they don't see you!" _Hotaru commanded mentally. It was the perfect moment. Her enemies couldn't see and hear her and thus, couldn't handle a surprise attack.

Espeon leaped out of the smoke in the blink of an eye and fired more pointy stars at the Pokémon. Houndoom dodged them in a swift move and Muk simply caught them with its slimy body. It had no effect on them, though it was a surprise attack.

"Psybeam!" screamed Hotaru. Her Pokémon didn't even nod, it only did as it was told to. Quickly, Espeon aimed for Muk and fired a rainbow-colored beam at Muk, which hit it successfully. The Poison-type howled in pain. Psychic attacks were effective against Poison-type Pokémon. _"__Yes! Don't worry, Shaymin. I will protect you!" _Hotaru said in her minds.

First, Shaymin thought that it already had hallucinations, but it wasn't wrong. It had heard Hotaru's voice. _"__Thank you." _As reply, it smiled weakly and relaxed a little bit in her arms, but only a little. As the next attack almost hit the girl, the hedgehog's tension and nervousness came back.

"Houndoom, use your Bite Attack!" Pierce hissed and growled angrily. But he was wondering how precise Espeon's attacks and defense was, even though it hadn't received any clear, verbal orders. It was like it could read the girl's mind and knew how to use the attacks efficiently. His Houndoom dashed toward Espeon and tried to bite it with its sharp, spear-like teeth. It was like a fight between cat and dog, only that it was even more serious.

Over and over again hopped Espeon out of Houndoom's range before the dog Pokémon could even reach it.

"Not bad, little girl," the blue-haired agent said before he chuckled slightly. "But let's end this childish game now," he said, grinning.

"Ladies first," Hotaru exclaimed in a mocking tone that only annoyed Pierce more. She waited patiently for Houndoom's next onslaught. Instead, Houndoom only attacked with its physical strength. Both Pokémon rammed their heads together before the next attempt came. Espeon and Houndoom fought brutally in hope to win the fight, though the advantage of the type and the difference between the levels were obvious. Espeon's only benefits were speed and agility, but it couldn't endure the brute force of Houndoom's attacks forever.

Meanwhile, Hotaru fought with all her might to dodge Muk's constant attacks. She had to dodge more and more slime bullets and toxic mud. It was almost impossible for her to give orders to Espeon. Now both, Trainer and Pokémon had to fight on their own.

The silver-haired agent, Hun, watched the fights patiently and waited for the right moment to join the battle, though the boredom was nearly unbearable for her. Nothing interesting had happened since the fight had started, at least in her opinion. "Time to end this," the woman mumbled, took her Poké Ball off her belt and released her own Pokémon. A powerful Steelix.

Her partner, Attila, snickered triumphantly. "I'm curious how long you will keep fighting," he told Hotaru in a taunting way.

In her shock, Hotaru's jaw dropped nearly to the ground. "Holy..." mumbled Hotaru in disbelief and stepped back. Without her realizing it, Steelix rammed its heavy iron tail in the ground, trying to hit Hotaru. The girl could barely run and stumbled in the attempt to flee, she fell to the ground, slipped a couple of meters, and hit her head, all while she held Shaymin to protect it from the fall. Steelix' tail only missed her by a few centimetres. Panting, Hotaru forced herself up to her feet again. She was at the edge of collapsing, but she needed to keep fighting. Hotaru felt bruises covering her legs, her scratched skin, and the wound on her head. _Damn it... we have to get out of here... _she thought, seeing Espeon's desperate attempts to defeat Houndoom, and now Muk as well. _"__We have no other choice! Espeon! We need to run away!" _

_"Okay!" _replied Espeon telepathically.

Suddenly, Hotaru yelped in pain as she felt a sharp claw scratching across her arm. It was close, but she wasn't injured too badly, nonetheless she still felt the burning pain around her elbow. Her white school blouse had received most of the attack, and the left sleeve got nearly ripped off. A shadow flew above her and reached out for her again. It was a Skarmory. Panic filled Hotaru's eyes, but luckily Espeon protected her with Swift Attack. The Skarmory flew back to its Trainer, Attila, who had just released the giant, armored bird from its Poké Ball.  
Perhaps, she had just noticed it, but Hotaru realized the tricky and dangerous situation, and dropped to her knees in despair. There was no way that she could win. Espeon was fighting alone, against a Muk, a Houndoom, a Steelix, and a Skarmory now. The chance to win against the criminals equaled zero.

"Espeon, give us some cover! Psybeam!" Hotaru yelled in panic. Fear came up in her that made her legs tremble. _If they get us, they will definitely hurt us! They won't show any mercy!_

Espeon immediately fired a Psybeam at the ground of the jungle and whirled up dust and dirt. It was enough to block the opposing Pokémon's sight. Hotaru hopped to her legs and dashed toward the jungle. "Run!" she screamed.

"Attila!" exclaimed Hun. She couldn't see anything, as well as Pierce. The cloud of dust made it impossible to find the girl.

"You got it!" Attila replied. The dust cloud didn't affect his sight too much, he still saw Hotaru and Espeon. In a hasty move, he pulled off a weapon-like device off the back of his belt. It was a shotgun, smaller than a normal one, but not one that fired bullets at targets. He glanced through the pointing telescope of the shotgun, aiming for the girl. "Just hold still for a moment..." Attila mumbled before he pulled the trigger. The gun shot an arrow-like needle at Hotaru without her knowing it. She only heard a loud noise that scared her.

_"Hotaru!" _Espeon warned her about the needle. But before the girl could react, Espeon turned around in a leap and stopped the needle in mid-air with Confusion. It was close, but Espeon was able to save her. Now, the needle floated before Hotaru in the air.

The girl nearly collapsed in shock. Fear shimmered in her eyes as she found the arrow-like missile in front of her eyes. As the Confusion Attack faded, the needle dropped and fell into Hotaru's palms. She caught it with shaking hands. "They...they...are shooting at us?" she exclaimed in disbelief and panic. Her heart felt like it missed a beat. The missile was actually a tranquilizer dart that had only just missed her. Without even thinking about it, she grabbed the dart, put it in her skirt pocket, and ran away, together with Espeon and Shaymin.

"We have to get her!" Pierce yelled as the dust cloud faded. He, Hun, and Attila ran after Hotaru into the jungle, followed by their Pokémon. "Houndoom!" He sent his Pokémon ahead to find Hotaru. It could spot her by simply following her scent.

Hotaru dashed with full speed through the woods, though with Shaymin in her arms she couldn't run all too fast. Then, branches hit her and made it harder for her to see her path. In her mind, she cursed like a sailor, though she had no time to curse and no time to be scared. The most important thing was a plan to escape Team Rocket. In one leap, she hopped over a broken tree and ran further into the deep jungle. The presence of Houndoom was dangerously close and came even closer.

_"What are we going to do?"_ Espeon asked. It was exhausted from the fight, but kept with Hotaru pretty well.

In the same time, Hotaru tried to keep the branches out of her sight before she could even reply. "Run. If we stop now, they will capture us for sure! And I don't want to find out, what they could do to us!" Hotaru exclaimed in her rush. "Espeon, you know, what to do!" Hotaru pulled her black school jacket from her hips and tossed it to Espeon while running. The purple cat-like Pokémon caught it in its mouth, wrapped it around its neck in one throw, and dashed in another direction. It hopped over a broken tree trunk and disappeared into woods. Suddenly, Hotaru heard Shaymin groaning in her arms. Its body temperature had increased again, it was nearly boiling. "Oh dear. We need to get you to a Pokémon Center!" Hotaru gritted her teeth nervously. She put Shaymin on her shoulder to pick up more speed. "Hold on tight! I will get you out of this, I promise!" the girl exclaimed and jumped over a huge root.

"Where...did...it..." Shaymin mumbled weakly, though it fought to cling on her shoulder. The rhythm of her running made it bounce and almost caused it to fall off.

"It will lay a false trail. Espeon carries my scent with the jacket. I'm sure those guys will use Houndoom to find us, but we can distract it, if we have a second trace. Perhaps we can win some time with this strategy," Hotaru explained. In every pause of talking, she drew a deep breath before she spoke again. "And don't worry. Espeon and I know the jungle better than anyone else. We won't give up so easily!" A smile crossed Hotaru's lips, but mentally she was scared and frightened. If Team Rocket kept up with her, she wouldn't have any chance against them. Especially not against the man with the dark blue hair. He was even more dangerous than the rest of the group.

Her way led through the darker and more vegetated part of the jungle, over several tiny creeks, hundreds of roots and stones.

In the same time, the three Team Rocket Agents dashed through the forest without any orientation. Merely Houndoom was able to find their target. The Pokémon sniffed at the ground, but went around disorientated. Several scent trails irritated and confused the Pokémon. Both led in different directions, but it was one and the same scent, yet the single trails carried other scents, which weren't so strong though. Even Houndoom felt the disappointment of its Trainer, it only pointed at the different ways with its nose before it turned to Pierce.

Thinking, the blue-haired man gazed at both directions. He found little broken branches and on the right track, but as well as on the left one. Yet, he spotted deep prints in the soil near the left one.

"What now?" hissed Attila, entirely annoyed.

"We will split up," Pierce said while he placed his right hand on his hip. His gaze was fixed on the footprints- "I will go this way. And you will follow Houndoom," he commanded in a harsh tone.

Hun and Attila both felt a little insulted by his rude way of talking, but his high rank in the organization convinced the agents to follow his orders without contradiction. "Of course," Hun replied. Her eyes became even colder and narrowed a little. She and Attila waited for Houndoom to show them the right way.

With a sinister smirk on his lips, Pierce turned his head. He already suspected the destination of his target and was aware of her strategy.

Meanwhile, Hotaru gained even more speed. She was now able to leap over the broken trees lying in her way with ease. Even creeks couldn't stop her. In one leap, she hopped over the creek that flowed down the slope until it ended in the Chrono Town and divided it in two halves. The current was stronger than usual, and thus the breadth of the creek, but Hotaru had no trouble jumping over it. Sprinting along the stream, she headed down the hill, towards the town. If she made it, she and Shaymin would be save, but it was still a long way.

_"Can we take a break?" _Shaymin asked, exhausted. It had already understood the way of their communication. At least it was easier and not so tiring.

In her run, Hotaru gritted her teeth. She knew about Shaymin's condition. It could hardly cling to her shoulder anymore, Shaymin's strength faded minute by minute. "No. Please, hang in there. Only for a little while longer."

Suddenly, Hotaru winced as a root caught her right foot and knocked her off her feet. One moment of inattention and she fell. Her face met the soil roughly. Her blouse was now dirty, her skirt as well, and muddy dirt covered her face, only that it wasn't a beauty mud mask. It was real dirt, real, disgusting, and muddy dirt. The other result of the accident was how Shaymin fell off her shoulder and rolled a few more meters. It nearly caused the hedgehog Pokémon to pass out. "Shaymin..." Hotaru grunted, when she forced herself to stand up. Her legs were shaking, her hands trembling, and she felt tired and so heavy. To it came her injuries, her scraped skin on her knees, arms, and forehead. Literally, she crawled to the Pokémon and picked it up. "Sorry... Are you okay?" she asked, even though she knew, how weak it felt.

A slight nod was the only response.

_Oh, Espeon. I hope you will be alright. Please, don't give up,_ Hotaru thought. The truth was, that she had reached her total limits. Mentally and physically.

Somehow but rather slowly, she found the strength to keep walking, but rather lurched and staggered around. Immediately, as she heard the cracking noise of a piece of wood she looked around in a rush and suspicion. Shudders crawled up and down her spine. Hastily, she stumbled through the jungle to escape. The danger was right behind her and came closer faster than she could run. Panic was written all over her face and tears of fear dwelt in her eyes. In her haste she lost the orientation completely. The girl had to flee with Shaymin.

Running was fairly senseless, her legs couldn't carry her anymore. Her only option was hiding. Hotaru jumped over a nearby tree trunk and hid behind it. Her breathing was loud and hectic, her face pale as a wall of chalk, and her hands trembling, even stronger than before. Plus, she noticed how loud she was. They would definitely find her. Instinct overpowered her fear and Hotaru covered her mouth with her hand while she held her breath.  
As she had expected it, someone walked out of the woods.

In that moment, Hotaru stopped breathing completely. She needed oxygen but her fear made her endure it.

Footsteps came closer, dangerously close to her. She had no idea that it was Pierce, but a strange painful feeling in her stomach told her to be silent for her own well-being. Instantly as she steps became louder Hotaru shivered and pressed Shaymin closer to her body. It was her reflex that she closed her eyes tightly. The seconds felt like hours for Hotaru. Her heart was racing, each beat hurt against her chest. Slowly, Pierce approached her, his gaze wandered around to examine the area, but his eyes narrowed coldly. Then, he walked away.

Hotaru remained in her position for a few more seconds, until she couldn't hear the footsteps anymore. A loud sigh in relief left her mouth and she inhaled fresh air. Her heart only soothed slowly, but she was able to calm down. Luckily, she wasn't caught. _"Shaymin, we did it. I will bring you to a Pokémon Center now. Don't worry, you will feel better soon," _she told the Pokémon mentally.

No response.

While gritting her teeth, her inner tension grew. Shaymin's health was the most important thing to take care of now and Hotaru couldn't waste a single minute. She hopped to her feet and glanced over the trunk to make sure that she was safe now, no one was around. In a rush, she dashed down a slope near the trunk. Somehow, she had got a part of her strength back. The reason was simple, she wanted to protect Shaymin at any price.

Suddenly, her eyes grew wide in shock. In her rush, she had accidentally overlooked the blue-haired person standing on the side of the slope's end, between some trees together with his Pokémon. Her body couldn't react so fast after she had realized it. This was a trap, she was the hunted person and Pierce the hunter.  
He grinned sinisterly before he snapped his fingers. His Pokémon, a giant Venusaur, sent two vines towards Hotaru and wrapped them around her neck.

They knocked her out of her balance and made her fall. Hotaru gasped as she hit the ground hardly, the other result was that she let go of Shaymin. It landed a few meters in front of her, unconsciously. Roughly, Venusaur dragged Hotaru to Pierce across the dirty ground, only by having its vines wrapped around her neck. The girl groaned in pain and struggled for oxygen. She couldn't breathe! As if wasn't painful enough, Venusaur pulled her off the ground and let her struggle in mid-air.  
The girl kicked her legs and gripped the vines around her neck to loosen them, but they tightened instead. With all her might she wrestled to touch the ground, but Venusaur lifted her up higher.

"Fighting is useless, girl," Pierce said coldly and made one step toward her. He shared exactly the same eye level with her and studied the girl from head to toe.

"Wha..." Hotaru stammered. She tried to scream, but she couldn't. A dizzy feeling already spread in her head, the colors faded or changed and her sight was blurred. The lack of oxygen nearly knocked her out and Pierce moved even closer. It was her natural instinct to defend herself, so she quickly tried to pull out the tranquilizer dart of her skirt pocket, but suddenly Venusaur slammed her against a tree. The bounce let the dart fall out of her pocket, and the strong impact made her yelp. Hotaru coughed loudly and struggled for air after she dropped to her knees. _Damn! I have to... get... out... of... _The stinging pain in her body spread and made it nearly impossible to move. Hastily and with shaking Again, Venusaur wrapped attacked her with Vine Whip and wrapped the vines around her waist. The grip was too tight and hurt a lot. Just like before, the Pokémon lifted her up from the ground.

Weakly, Hotaru faced Pierce who snickered evilly. "Who... are..." she stammered.

Pierce grabbed her chin roughly, his eyes showed no hint of mercy or compassion. In a tight grip, he pulled the girl closer to look in her eyes. "I'm sure you have heard about us. We are Team Rocket and I guess you know that your little friend over there is our target," he chuckled and mentioned Shaymin with a short glance. To his amusement, Hotaru struggled even more and tried to kick, but the man let go of her chin and stepped back, so she couldn't even reach him with her legs. "You're a feisty one, aren't you?" the blue-haired agent mumbled, grinning.

"Leave Shaymin alone-" Hotaru snapped at him, but got cut off by Venusaur's vines. She yelped in pain, gasped, grunted, groaned, and coughed. The grip around her waist was too tight. A nauseous feeling came up in her stomach, but she didn't want to give up now.

"Let's see, how long you can endure this," Pierce said and watched her fighting.

Tears dwelt in Hotaru's eyes, but she fought to suppress them with all her might. Seconds passed and with them Hotaru's fighting spirit. Her strength faded as the grip became even more painful. The result was a short scream in pain.

Once more grabbed Pierce her chin and turned her head to take a closer look at her. "I'll give you that, you're tough for a little girl. But in the end you lost," Pierce spoke in a calm voice.

Hotaru's gaze wandered to the people, who arrived at the place of the fight. Hun and Attila, followed by Pierce's Houndoom. Both wore evil grins on their faces, and Attila carried Hotaru's Espeon by its fur. The Pokémon was defeated and unconscious, and badly hurt. It hurt in Hotaru's heart. It hurt even more as Hun walked to the defeated hedgehog Pokémon, bent down and picket it up roughly.

"Do you realize it now?" Pierce asked her and tightened the grip on her chin. In a moment of anger, Hotaru rapidly wriggled her head out of his grasp and bit in his hand. Pierce grunted and yelped. It was a painful and deep bite, and Hotaru didn't think of letting him go. With gritted teeth, Pierce pulled his hand away, reached back, and smacked her across her face.  
The girl screamed and winced, she felt her right cheek becoming red and how the stinging pain grew. Her brave facade shattered and tears began to roll down her face. In his anger, Pierce grabbed her blonde hair and pulled her head up to look at the frightened expression her face held. "You little rat! If you want the hard way, you can have it!" he hissed at her. Though, his expression changed. A cold smirk crossed his face again as he spotted the lost dart hidden in between several roots.

Attila and Hun watched the girl trembling in fear. She couldn't calculate what the agents would do next, but she already expected something painful.

Pierce walked around Hotaru to the dart, picked it up, and cleaned the needle with his gloved fingers. His gaze met Hotaru, but she couldn't see him and what he was doing.

"Venusaur, let go of her," the man commanded. Immediately, the vines around Hotaru's waist loosened and the girl dropped to the ground like a stone.

She landed on her knees and remained in this position. There was no energy left for her to keep fighting. Her fear grew, she didn't want this to happen._ This is a bad dream! It is only a nightmare! A horrible nightmare! S_he tried to tell herself, but it was useless. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she realized that she had lost. Abrutly, Hotaru yelped as Pierce grabbed her ponytail and pulled her back on her feet. Her whole body weight hung on her hair now. Then, he quickly wrapped his right arm around her neck to keep her in place. With the other hand Pierce held the dart ready.

"I hope you have learned your lesson," chuckling, Pierce whispered in her ear before he reached back with the dart.

Hotaru lowered her head in defeat, but suddenly screamed as Pierce rammed the needle into the right side of her waist. The pain was worse than before. All Hotaru was able to do was scream, she cried loudly and panted, but the pain didn't disappear. Clearly, she noticed how her legs became limp, then her arms and the rest of her body. She literally hung in Pierce's grip before he let her fall. With the rest of her strength, she leaned on her arms and whimpered, only to be watched by the Rocket Agents. Her wincing and sobbing stopped and she collapsed. Her eyelids felt so heavy, until they closed eventually and Hotaru fainted.

_I'm sorry, Espeon... Shaymin... I'm so sorry..._

"That's it. We will return now," Pierce commanded and called back Venusaur into its Poké Ball.

In suspicion, Hun raised an eyebrow and gazed at the defeated girl. "What about her?" she asked curiously. "We've captured the Shaymin, but what about the girl?"

Pierce threw a cold look at her. In his opinion, he felt a little insulted by even getting asked. "We will take her along as well of course."

"What? Why?" shouted Attila, confused.

"Would you let a witness go freely? The girl knows what has happened. She knows way too much, reasons enough to take her along with us. We will decide later, what we will do with her. And don't forget her Pokémon," the blue-haired agent hissed, grabbed the collar of Hotaru's blouse and pulled her up. With ease he threw her over his shoulder and made the first step back in the direction they had come from. "The mission is complete. Let's go."

"Wait, wait, wait!" interrupted Attila again, shouting. "Do you mean, we have to walk the whole way back to the helicopter?"

"Yes. Or do you want to walk all the way back to the hideout in Johto?" Pierce said with a slight grin on his lips.

Attila kept his mouth shut. Simply for the reason that he couldn't find the right words to argue. The arrogant personality of his partner just disgusted him. Hun shared the same opinion, she kept some distance to Pierce for a good reason.

It was a last, weak attempt to open its eyes. Shaymin glanced at the defeated girl, exhausted. Compunction and guilt feelings bothered the hedgehog before it passed out as well.

_I'm sorry, Hotaru. I shouldn't have involved you in all this..._


	5. The Real Target

**Chapter 4: The Real Target**

Hotaru's head felt so heavy, as if lead filled her body. Slowly, she opened her eyes and saw nothing but darkness. It was cold, dark, and sinister. Hotaru could barely feel the rest of her body, it still felt numb. Carefully, she tried to stand up, but couldn't, something held her back and kept her from her full range of movement. She noticed a cold bar touching her hands, and also noticed how her wrists were tied to the bar. Her mind was spinning like crazy, her limbs ached, and the bruises, which covered her body hurt. Then, she felt a stinging pain in her head and the memories coming up in her mind.

It was a natural reaction that she shut her eyes tightly as she heard a door opening. The sound of the door hinges was almost shrill, stung in the girl's ears, and made her flesh crawl. She shivered as she heard another door open, the door of a cell or a cage.

"Hey," snapped Pierce and stepped in front of the girl.

Neither did she react, nor did she answer. Though, Pierce's cold voice gave her chills.

"Wake up, girl," the blue-haired agent hissed before he grabbed her bangs and pulled her head up.

Slowly, Hotaru opened her eyes again, but she still felt dizzy. Her gaze wandered to the agent weakly, however her sight remained blurred. She saw how Pierce bent down to her level and freed her from the tight ropes, though only from the one that had kept her tied to the bar. The other one remained around her wrists and robbed her ability to defend herself. It was nearly impossible for her to move, but she still dared an attempt. The agent watched her impatiently before he grabbed her arm to pull her back to her feet. In a moment of exhaustion, Hotaru dropped to her knees again, she couldn't find the strength to stand on her legs.

Suddenly, Hotaru yelped in pain as Pierce dragged her out of the cell. He only had her hair in his iron-like grip and pulled her out of the room that contained the cells. Pierce kept walking in a constant speed and didn't even care about Hotaru, who he tugged along the corridor like an old, heavy bag. She squirmed loudly and tried to free herself from the grasp by kicking her legs and wriggling, but it had no effect. Instead, Pierce pulled even rougher and jerkier in his annoyance.  
His way led down the hallway to the last door. After a short glance he tossed at Hotaru, he opened the door and entered. In one jolt, he shoved her inside the room. Hotaru squealed loudly once she hit the cold floor. Tears arose in her eyes and remained there with the pain. Panting and gasping, Hotaru found the courage to glance at her surroundings was in an office. Only with dimmed light, no windows, and just with a desk and a few shelves inside, but a strange tension filled the atmosphere. Also, Hotaru found several familiar people. Hun and Attila, the two agents who had captured her.

But now, she had thousands of questions. Why did they kidnap her? What happened to Shaymin and her Espeon? And what was going to happen to Hotaru?

While gritting her teeth, Hotaru tried to stand up, but Pierce was faster than her. He grabbed her ponytail again and pulled her up to her feet. It was so painful and humiliating.

"This is the girl, who tried to protect the Shaymin," Pierce said coldly and glanced at Hotaru.

Another person was in the office. A high-ranked scientist, who had greyish hair and wore a white lab coat. It was Professor Sebastian. It seemed that he had just talked with the other agents until Pierce's entrance interrupted them. With a smug, yet cold glance gazed the professor at Hotaru. As his eyes met hers, Hotaru shivered.  
He cleared his throat quickly, before he turned around to the girl. "Very well then. Let me see our little guest," Sebastian mumbled before he stepped in front of Hotaru. Without any warning, he grabbed her chin roughly and turned her head to take a good look at her and her features. The growl on her face, the anger glowing in her eyes, her dirty and tattered blouse, and the dirty red skirt. All pointed to a rough fight. Interest shimmered in his eyes behind his glasses and he smirked in a terrifying way.

Anger grew inside Hotaru. She felt like an object that got viewed for its value. In her reflex, she pulled her head out of his hand and opened her mouth to scream. "Why the hell did you kidnap me?!" the girl yelled at the top of her lungs and sensed the tears coming back. "What is going on here? And wha-" Hotaru coughed loudly and gasped for air as Pierce cut her off with a strong punch with his elbow between her shoulder blades. It forced her to drop to her knees. For a brief moment, she couldn't breathe, neither could she even move her upper torso. Strong pains hit her like lightning strikes.

"As I said before, she is quite cheeky," Pierce said, not caring about her.

The scientist simply stroked his goatee and watched the girl struggle in her pain. "That should be no problem," the professor grinned. "Well, my dear. My name is Professor Sebastian. I am scientist of the research department of Team Rocket's Johto base. I guess you know already the reason why you are here," Sebastian said to Hotaru.

The girl kept quiet and refused to answer, but growled at the scientists. Aggressively, she bared her teeth slightly to keep Team Rocket away from her, though she had to admit that it would never work yet, she didn't hold back to show her attitude towards those criminals. It was the least thing she could do. But her shaking body showed the truth. Hotaru shuddered and trembled in fear. She didn't know, what was going to happen to her, and assuming from the fight earlier, Team Rocket wouldn't show any mercy.

With a sigh, Professor Sebastian showed his slight annoyance, though he was patient. Slowly, he placed his hands behind his back and made a step closer to the girl, causing her to flinch. "You can drop the act now. Playing tough won't help you under the current circumstances." It was a clear statement.

"What happened to Espeon? And where is Shaymin?" Hotaru asked, shuddering.

"You have other important things to worry about, my dear," the scientist said, snickering. "Your well-being for example."

Hotaru lowered her head and gritted her teeth in defeat, she tried to bite back her tears with all her might. "What do you want from me?" the Trainer asked, stammering.

A smirk crossed Sebastian's lips. "Nothing particular, but you've seen my agents and the Shaymin. On top of that you interfered in their mission, so it should be obvious that we can't let you go, my dear. In your words, we will have to get rid of you and your Pokémon before someone notices your disappearance," he spoke, his voice held the same monotone tone as before.

_What?_ _Did he just... _Hotaru's eyes widened in shock. First, she thought she had misheard the scientist's words, but no. Suddenly, Hun and Attila stepped next to her and grabbed her arms to keep her from struggling. Hun had her left arm and Attila got hold of her right arm. Instinct and fear overpowered her control and made her fight. She leaned away from the agents, but they merely tightened their grasps to a very painful level. A short glance over her shoulder and Hotaru's gaze hit Pierce's. This smirk, he wore this smirk again on his lips. That smirk told her what they meant with 'getting rid of her'. Her jaw nearly dropped to the floor in disbelief. "No! You can't do that!" shouted Hotaru desperate. "That doesn't make any sense! First you kidnap me and then you decide to..." Her heart was racing and hammering against her chest. Those words caused a horrible nauseous feeling, she couldn't even think about them. There were two possibilities, either they would eliminate her, or torture her. This thought nearly made her throw up.

Attila and Hun were pulling her back in a rude way, they fought to keep her still, but Hotaru continued to struggle.

"What kind of sadists are you!? You can't do this!" Hotaru repeated, screaming. A mix of rage, despair, and fear was the only thing she felt.

Annoyed by her screams, Sebastian let out a silent hiss. "I have to correct you, we can do whatever we want with you," he mumbled under his breath.

Hotaru's eyes snapped open as she heard that. What kind of person would say such a despising thing? Instantly, she pushed forward, trying to attack the professor. Her glare was filled with anger and rage, she was breathing heavily and growled. Only the two agents held her back by twisting her arms until she yelped in pain.  
_That's not true... This is just a horrible nightmare! _The girl was at the edge of a mental breakdown. Her body trembled like crazy, this situation felt like a nightmare, though it was the painful reality.

"But I am curious," Professor Sebastian spoke again. "It is impressive to confront Team Rocket like you did. It was either very brave, or naive. Tell me, my dear, what is your name?" he asked.

Hotaru refused to respond, but Hun grabbed her ponytail and pushed her head down roughly. "I suggest you answer, girl," she threatened and hissed into the girl's ear.

"Well?" the professor chuckled sinisterly.

A sigh, together with a sob escaped Hotaru's throat. In defeat, she lowered hear. "H... Hotaru..." she stuttered.

Suddenly, the scientist arched one eyebrow. His expression changed and he glanced over the rims of his glasses at the other agents. Pierce, Hun and Attila shared the same expression: Astonishment. "Hotaru? And your surname?" he asked, rather impatiently and tensed. Suspicion was written all over his face.

"Natsukawa..." Hotaru replied. She felt nervous, because the tension in the office increased instantly.

In surprise, Hun let go of her arm, then Attila, as well. Hotaru wondered about their reaction and couldn't explain what was going on, though she felt something worse coming at her. Something worse than she could imagine. The corner of Sebastian's mouth formed a dark smirk on his lips, it was different from before. A somehow satisfied and evil grin. It sent powerful shivers down Hotaru's spine. "That is a surprise. I guess your name just saved your life, my dear," the professor said. With a nod, he gestured Hun to untie Hotaru's wrists instantly. The silver-haired agent agreed with a nod and unknotted the rope that held Hotaru's wrists together behind her back.

Rapidly, Hotaru looked at her hands. The skin of her wrists was scraped and wound. The open wound burned like fire and still showed the deep imprint of the ropes on her wrists. Confusion filled her look, she tried to understand the current situation but couldn't. Why did they change their mind on a sudden. "Why... What do you mean?" Hotaru asked with a shaking voice.

Professor Sebastian smiled smugly and walked around Hotaru, step by step, with his hands still crossed behind his back. "I guess I have to apologize for the rough treatment. You see, Team Rocket's experts hacked into the systems of the Institution for Pokémon Science and found the information of a person, who is capable of the skill to communicate with Pokémon via telepathy. And this person seems to be you, little mouse," Sebastian explained as he stepped behind the girl.  
Hotaru shivered. They were talking about her, Team Rocket knew about her. But what did they want? With caution turned Hotaru her head to face the scientists, she watched every single move he did.  
"So, tell me, is that true?" he asked while putting his hands on Hotaru's shoulder.

The girl shrank and gulped deeply. Cold sweat pearls covered her forehand. The words suddenly disappeared and somehow, Hotaru lost the ability to speak. It was like something blocked and stuck inside her throat. Slowly, she nodded, it was nearly not visible, though the feeling in her stomach told her not to. It grew into waves of slight pain.

"I take that as a 'yes'," the scientist chuckled.

"Wait!" yelled Attila and interrupted them. "This can't be true! I mean, she is just a little girl! She can't possess such a gift!" he shouted.

With a nod, Pierce agreed with the blonde-haired agent and stepped closer to Hotaru as well. "How old are you?" he hissed and glared at the girl with an evil look in his eyes.

"Fifteen," slightly stuttering, said Hotaru in fear that Pierce would hurt her again. She stepped back, moving closer to the desk behind her without noticing it, until she touched the desk with her back. It cut off her way to escape, though there was no way out. She was locked in an office, together with four criminals. Everyone could have hurt her without warning.

All the agents glared at her. It was a threatening atmosphere in the room.

Professor Sebastian watched Hotaru patiently. He stepped closer to her and thus pushed her with her back to the desk, only with his presence. "Her age is irrelevant, only her ability is important for us. Well, let me explain it to you, little mouse," he said to Hotaru. The nicknames mocked her and made her angry, but she didn't dare speak. "We received the assignment to investigate your ability and if possible to copy it. I guess you're not aware of the potential this ability holds, but it could help us to gain the ultimate power. But considering effort of our intentions and the implementation, it would be easier if you cooperate with us," the scientist explained her, only to make Hotaru grit her teeth. She knew how evil Team Rocket was, and that they would always use their power to control and harm Pokémon and people. "Of course, we will use force if you won't obey us, and you can trust me, it won't be painless, my dear."

In anger growled Hotaru and lowered her head. She could nearly not bear it anymore to hear his voice. These words were so cruel and cold, without the slightest hint of compassion. Why? Why did this happen to her? Only one day ago, she had lived a rather normal life, and now she was Team Rocket's prisoner. It was so scornful, heartless, dreadful, and frightening. Why did she deserve that? "That... is..." she mumbled under her breath until she raised her head a little and glared at the scientist with a grin on her lips. "You don't scare me at all," Hotaru said in a brave tone. "If you think that I will obey you like a weak-willed puppet, then I am afraid you're dead wrong!"

First, the professor let out a silent sigh, but then he crossed his arms and grinned. "Oh, really?" snickering, Sebastian asked and tapped his right index-finger on his chin as he approached the girl. Her attitude annoyed him, but he couldn't take her seriously. In his eyes Hotaru was a weak, little girl with a big mouth and no possibility to defend herself, plus her pretended bravery and facade. "Let me clarify something. This is no game. We have several effective methods to tame you. It is only a matter of time until we will break your will, if you keep resisting. And assuming from your trembling body it shouldn't take too long." Sebastian said coldly to her, his eyes fixed with hers as their gazes met in the middle. "Because I'm in a good mood, you can choose on your own what it should be. I can offer you a number of ways. Maybe several hours in a pressure chamber will change your mind, or do you rather prefer electric shocks? The choice is all yours." Sebastian snickered, still with the same merciless smile on his lips. He leaned in close suddenly, causing Hotaru to push herself closer to the desk. In a mean way, he put his hands next to her, to destroy Hotaru's hopes of a way to escape. Only inches separated their faces. "Well, little mouse?"

"You're totally insane," Hotaru hissed at him and narrowed her eyes.

Suddenly, Hotaru felt a strong and painful slap across her face and yelped. The sound of the smack echoed through the room and had caused a terrifying silence. Stunned and with shock written all over her face, she touched her bright red cheek. The stinging and burning pain finally did it and broke the facade she fought to keep up. Tears streamed down her cheeks, her lips started trembling, and several sobs escaped her mouth, but she still bit her lip in rage.

Calmly, Professor Sebastian moved his right hand, which he had just used to smack the girl. "You are too impertinent in my opinion, but I will have enough time to deal you, little mouse," he snapped and adjusted his glasses with one finger before he created a slight distance to the girl.

Hotaru's expression fell. She was scared. Scared of the future and the things, which were going to happen to her. She noticed Pierce's chuckles and saw the grin on his lips. The smack and the girl's despair amused him, seemingly. On the other hand, it ashamed Hotaru. She felt so weak.

"The study of the Institution talked about physical and mental health. In other words they have examined you and tested you, haven't they?" Sebastian asked.

This time, Hotaru answered his question on her own, but not willingly. It was only the fear of getting hurt again that made her talk. "Yes... they examined me in several ways for years, but were never able to explain how and why I gained this ability."

"That means, you received it after your birth?" Sebastian asked, arching one eyebrow.

There was no moment of hesitation. "Yes..." Hotaru replied silently, though her expression changed in the fraction of a second. The look in her eyes changed into a rather sad one, but neither the scientist nor the agents could tell what it meant.

"Interesting," mumbled the scientist under his breath and stroked his goatee. "Very well then. Attila, Hun, give the command to make the preparations in Laboratory D-2," he ordered. His two agents agreed with nods and left the room, though Attila grunted silently.

_Laboratory?_ Hotaru thought as a shudder met her spine. She already suspected a horrible future approaching her. _What... are they planning to do? _"Don't think I won't fight back," Hotaru snapped.

In a swift move, Professor Sebastian stroked Hotaru's cheek with his right thumb while he held her chin in his hand. "And don't think your stay will be comfortable," the scientist replied with a grin. Quickly, he pulled his hand back as Hotaru opened her mouth to bite him.

Pierce went straight to Hotaru while he wore an emotionless expression on his face. Before Hotaru even knew what happened, Pierce had grabbed her arms and pulled her away from the desk. In her fear, Hotaru struggled and tried to escape his grasp. Instead, he tightened his grip and twisted her arms behind her back to drag her out of the office, followed by Sebastian, who watched the girl with interest. They headed to the research and science department of the hideout, though dark corridors, past several doors and gates, all promising danger.  
Every second that passed made Hotaru shiver and struggle even more. She leaned herself against the way Pierce was pushing her in, though by twisting her wrists further and rougher.

Hotaru squirmed as response. "Let me go!" she yelled and tried to run, but Pierce had her wrists in an iron-like grip. "Let go of me!"

"Quit screaming already!" Pierce hissed at her, yanked her around by her arm, reached back, and punched into her stomach. Hotaru collapsed on her knees and coughed while tears appeared in her eyes. She couldn't remember the last time she had been in such pain, but Hotaru could tell, nobody had ever treated her in that way. Harshly, the blue-haired agent pulled her up by her ponytail and shoved her along the hallway again. Fear turned into panic and Hotaru started to yelp and whimper. She had no chance against an adult. Pierce was physically strong, too strong for Hotaru. He could overpower her easily, however her screams annoyed him more than anything else.

Slowly, he pushed Hotaru to a sliding door made of glass. It was their final goal. While Pierce held Hotaru in place, Professor Sebastian unlocked the door with his magnetic card, which he pulled through the scanner. The doors opened, revealing the room behind them.

Hotaru's eyes widened in shock, her jaw nearly dropped to the ground as she saw the laboratory that waited behind the sliding door. Pierce dragged her inside the room, attracting the attention of the scientist working in there. Ten, no, fifteen scientists, all dressed in white lab coats gazed at Hotaru as if she was their new lab rat. But she was Team Rocket's new test subject. It was the moment she realized that fact. Those cold and emotionless gazes and glances. They frightened her to death.

Suddenly, Pierce forced her to a metallic table and Sebastian gestured his scientist to help the agent. In that moment, Hotaru realized her current position. Professor Sebastian was a high-ranked scientist, the head scientist of Team Rocket, who had the assignment to use her as his personal test subject. She was his prisoner, she belonged Team Rocket now.

Three scientists hurried and rushed to Pierce and held Hotaru to keep her still, two of them grabbed her arms, while the other man wrapped his arm around her neck. Together, they dragged her closer to the metallic table and heaved her on it and pushed her down with pure force. Hotaru was now breathing heavily. Adrenaline flowed through her veins, but fear overcame her. Her whole body was trembling. "Please, let me go!" That position on the table forced her to look in the fluorescent and blinding light of the light bulbs above her. Too bright for her eyes.

Snickering, Professor Sebastian approached her while he held something in his hands. Two syringes. Another scientists handed him two vials, filled with different liquids, a greenish one and a second, light purple and milky liquid. He put them in a safe place on a metallic and movable roll container. Meanwhile, a fourth scientist withdrew several electrodes from a lab shelf and brought them to Sebastian. Hotaru felt horribly nauseous watching all this and knowing that those things were meant for her. "So, in the end it was only a facade, hm? The brave and tough girl?" Sebastian chuckled in a sinister way.

Hotaru gritted and bared her teeth, but she had to admit it, she was scared. With caution watched the girl how he got the electrodes ready. In a sudden move, Pierce grabbed her bangs and pushed her head down on the table, when the other scientists held her arms and legs down. Struggling was absolutely useless, she couldn't even move a single inch. Tears streamed down the trail of dried tears on her cheeks. Her eyes closed from all alone and silently, she cried. Professor Sebastian attached the first electrodes on her forehead, but it was more painful than she had thought. Tiny hooks dug into her skin and fixed the electrodes tightly. Then, the next four electrodes on her temples, and her neck. All while Hotaru bit her lip. Her hands balled to fists to endure it. But abruptly, her eyes snapped open as Sebastian opened the first button of her blouse, revealing her collarbone and preparing the next electrodes. "Wait! No!" Hotaru screamed and wriggled in the scientists' grasp.

She had no chance. Shortly after, the professor opened the second button without hesitation and pulled her collar aside. The next pricks were more embarrassing than painful, the last electrodes got attached to her collarbone. It was uncomfortable for the girl and made her appear weak. She even noticed Pierce's grin and blushed in embarrassment. What screams had been before turned into sobs and whimpers. Silently, the girl cried, but fought against the tears. Without success.

Another man picked up several wires coming from the table's bottom and attached them to the electrodes on Hotaru's body. All of them led to computers, where the scientists worked. The pictures of Hotaru's heartbeat and several vital information showed up on the computer screens. The sign for most of the scientists to sit down at their computers and start their work.

It was an endless torture for Hotaru. And she couldn't understand? What had she done to deserve that? She hadn't done anything bad, but why did she have to endure all this? Those questions crossed her mind over and over, but she wasn't able to find an answer.

"Let me go..." Hotaru whimpered.

"I've warned you about the consequences, my dear," Professor Sebastian said and glanced down at the girl. "Hold her still!"

A last whine escaped her lips before the scientists and Pierce pinned her to the table even more. Pierce gripped her arms and pinned them to the table over her head, crossed, and held down by her wrists. "Please! Please, let me go! I beg you!" The view of the head scientists filling the first syringe with the greenish liquid made her tremble stronger. Why her? Why did it have to be her? And why did her courage leave her now?

"I'm afraid we can't. You're too important for our plans," the professor mocked her before he stroked her cheek, sending strong chills up and down her spine. "I forgot to tell you, you have no reason to be afraid. This is only the preparation for the coming tests." He prepared the firsts syringe and held the needle up.

It reflected the artificial light and shined in Hotaru's eyes. In the next moment, she felt how Professor Sebastian pulled up her blouse to uncover her belly. It was like an arrow that hit Hotaru and made her yell. "No! Please! Stop this!" Hotaru screamed, nearly running out of oxygen. She struggled, wriggled, and fought, only to get pinned down with more force. Hotaru felt the cold metal of the needle touching her bare skin, she bit her lip in vain. Slowly, Professor Sebastian pushed the needle under her skin, into her stomach, and injected her with the liquid. Instantly, Hotaru opened her mouth and screamed as loud as her lungs would allow it. She struggled but couldn't break free. Her throat already felt raucous but the scream held on until Sebastian injected the first liquid into her stomach and pulled the needle out again. Everyone else in the base would have heard her scream, but the lab soundproof. The flow of tears didn't stop, it became stronger instead, and Hotaru panted heavily.

"Please, not again. That hurts! Please, I beg you, I beg you, I beg you!" she yelled, gagging on her own saliva. "Don't! I beg you! It hurts..." Hotaru cried.

A cold glare was the answer from Professor Sebastian and it caused Hotaru to keep her mouth shut. No pity, no compassion... Hotaru was literally at Team Rocket's mercy.

Suddenly, a normal scientist held a scrap of cloth before her mouth and forced her to bite on it, then Pierce took both of her wrists in his right hand and covered her mouth with his left one. She wasn't even able to scream anymore. The cloth was to bite on, to suppress the pain. Somehow. The main reason was to keep her from biting her tongue too much. Slowly, Hotaru couldn't feel her legs anymore for some reason. Her arms next, she couldn't move them anymore. Her body went numb.

"The first injection was a tranquilizer, it will keep you from causing trouble. The second injection prepares you for the following tests," Professor Sebastian explained, noticing her confused expression. "It will also be a good lesson for you. I will teach you how to behave in front of me," he mumbled under his breath with a grin on his, preparing the last syringe.

The tension in Hotaru's belly area increased as she felt the tip of the needle touching her skin. Immediately, she screamed and squirmed in pain again as it reached her stomach. Even though she had the cloth in her mouth and Pierce covering it, the scream was louder than the one before. The pain was too strong to bear. Her yells faded and she became silent. The tranquilizer had affected her larynx as well and robbed her the ability to speak. Her muscles were forced to relax. She lost the control over her own body and could only feel pain.

In her fear, her willpower faded as well. Could it come even worse? Yes, Hotaru already expected worse things.

"I told you before, little mouse. There is no reason to be afraid... yet..." grinned Sebastian and watched her.

Hotaru closed her eyes. She couldn't do anything but cry.


	6. Team Rocket's Test Subject

**Chapter 5: Team Rocket's Test Subject  
**

"Back off!" Hotaru yelled at the top of her lungs and flinched, stepping back until she reached the wall of the lab. "Just leave me alone!"

Three scientists of Team Rocket approached her, cornering her in a place without a way to escape. It has been a while now since Hotaru got captured by the organization. Has it been a week? Or two already? She couldn't even tell. They gave her a tiny room to live in, but most of the time she was forced to spend in the labs. She had to endure cruel and painful experiments every single day, as well as normal tests, but being forced was the most painful thing. Nobody felt compassion for the girl, instead she got hurt every time she showed the slightest attitude. The bruises that covered her body, and her skin, punctured by needles and injections demonstrated the rough and merciless treatment. Then, Team Rocket questioned her about her ability, and as soon she refused to answer they didn't hesitate to hurt her. And her Pokémon, Espeon? Hotaru didn't know, what happened to her Pokémon, or to Shaymin.

And now, after another horrible day, the scientists tried to run the last test on her, only to view her brainwaves, though she gave them as much trouble as she could.

"Be a good girl and come here, now!" one of the men hissed at the girl. He reached out for her arm, but Hotaru ducked quickly and hopped to the side, only to get cornered by the other scientists again. And again, they approached to grab her, this time with success. One scientist got her arm and grabbed her hair, as well. The girl yelped and struggled in his grip, but got caught by the second man. Both of them had her arms in tight grips and dragged her to the door, to leave the lab. Their goal was a different lab in the complex.  
Two of them dragged her though a familiar corridor while the third man went ahead. Hotaru kicked her legs in the air, trying to kick the scientists and turned her head wildly to bite them. She had no chance. Suddenly, Hotaru felt theirs loosen a little and found her chance to run. She ripped her wrists out of their grasps and rammed the scientist in front of her to the side. All of them screamed and shouted at her to stop, but instead Hotaru dashed through another dark corridor, which split into two new hallways. Hotaru rushed through the left one and hid behind a dark corner. She only heard the steps of the scientists, how they were looking for her.

Slowly, she leaned her back on the cold wall and dropped to her knees. Her face remained hidden in the palms of her hands. Tears came up in her eyes, but she bit them back. Despair wasn't quite the right word for her situation. She knew Team Rocket would find her soon. Without Espeon her chances to escape from the hideout equaled zero. But at least she could win some minutes until she had to endure the next painful tests, though she knew about the consequences of her short escape. In her whole life Hotaru had never been treated in such a horrible way. The examinations in the hospital, led by the institution, were never painful or frightening, rather annoying due to the constant routine visits. For a short moment, Hotaru regretted that she had skipped the hospital visit, but then she also felt sorry for not being able to protect Shaymin. _Espeon... where are you? I need your help,_ she said in her thoughts, though she couldn't even build up a mental connection with Espeon.

Hotaru looked up rapidly as she heard voices and steps again. She saw the three scientists coming around the corner and her natural reflex made her jump to her feet. Panic was written over her whole face and immediately, she turned around to flee. Her trembling legs could barely carry her weight. Exhaustion made itself felt in her muscles, and quickly she was out of breath. The Rocket scientists caught up with her too earlier and chased her through the hallways.

It was a short time of freedom. Her way ended as she rushed around a corner and nearly crashed into Professor Sebastian. Rapidly, she stepped back and stumbled in her hecticness. But again, she hopped back to her feet while she got cornered by her enemies. Behind Professor Sebastian was Pierce, who grinned at Hotaru's misfortune.

"What is she doing here?" Professor Sebastian asked, surrounding the girl together with Pierce and his assistants.

One of his assistants gulped, however he dared to speak. "She... suddenly escaped..." he stammered.

A threatening glare was all Hotaru got in the next moment. She shrank as Professor Sebastian approached her and forced her closer to the wall until she touched it with her back. He didn't wear his usual, smug smile, instead he glared at stared at her with an enraged, but somehow calm expression. In a moment of panic, Hotaru tried to run away, but yelped as the head scientist grabbed her wrist and pulled her back gruffly. Sebastian held her arm up, which made her struggle a little, but his strength exceeded hers by far. His grip on her wrist was painful and made her whimper, however she gritted her teeth. "I will deal with you as soon as we arrive in the lab," he hissed at Hotaru, causing her to shudder.

Roughly and jerkily, he dragged the girl through a long hallway, followed by Pierce and his assistants.

In that moment, Hotaru asked herself why she had fled. It was so senseless and made her situation even worse. Her instinct and her panic had taken control over Hotaru and caused her to do fatal mistakes. In her defeat, Hotaru lowered her head. Biting her inner lip was a distraction from the reality, but only for a short moment. Unconsciously, she bared her teeth to seem brave, but nobody saw her. Single loosened bangs of her hair covered her face like a tattered, silky curtain. Through her bangs and with a lowered head, she glanced at her enemies and captors. Their expressions were so cold, as if they were surrounded by ice.

Hotaru looked up as they suddenly stopped in front of a door. The time seemed so rush past the girl. She whimpered silently, when the head scientists pulled her inside a horribly sterile lab the moment the glass door opened automatically. It wasn't a laboratory for experiments. This part of the underground-building was the medical section, but it could also be used for physical and mental examinations. In her panic, Hotaru leaned away from Professor Sebastian to avoid the next cruel treatment, only to get shoved by his assistants. Abruptly, as the door closed behind them they stopped. Hotaru felt the men's glares hitting her like daggers, which made her gulp. With caution, she watched Professor Sebastian turning around to face her, though he still held her wrist in his grip. His and Hotaru's glares met in the middle and Hotaru suspected his intention. His gestured told her everything as the corners of his lips turned into a tiny, but sinister grin.

In the next moment, the girl felt how she got pulled closer roughly. Professor Sebastian let go of her wrist, reached back with his right hand, and slapped her several times.

One. Two. Three. Three slaps. Each stronger than the one before.

At every slap Hotaru whimpered, yelped, and flinched. Rapidly, she felt the stinging pain in her cheeks that felt like it teared her face apart. Tears of despair, pain, and rage rolled down her red cheeks and made the marks even worse. Hotaru bit her lip to suppress more tears and lowered her head. She felt so weak and nearly dropped to her knees. However, Pierce stepped behind her, caught her arms with his while he also grabbed her bangs to lift her head up. Hotaru struggled slightly and bared her teeth in frustration. Her tear-stained face and her defenselessness simply amused Team Rocket. Only to frighten her, Professor Sebastian took her chin in his right hand and wiped a single tear away with his thumb while he grinned at her. Even the slightest touch hurt and sent flashes of pain through her cheek. Anger boiled within the girl, but she couldn't fight against it.

"Let this be a lesson to you, little mouse," Sebastian mumbled, snickering.

As a response, Hotaru gritted her teeth, but couldn't bite back the tears. She wriggled in Pierce's grasps to get free as she saw Sebastian's assistant approaching her with several electrodes in his hands. "Get... lost!" the girl hissed and grunted. A painful jerk by her hair was the result.

The scientist approached her with caution not to get kicked by her. With a few fast moves, he attached the electrodes on her temples, neck, collarbone, and one on her right wrist to check her pulse, all while Pierce held her in place. Her skin was already punctured, all done by the same electrodes and tests. Suddenly, dragged her to one of the walls. It wasn't just simply the end of the laboratory. Several straps remained in a recess-like deepening in the wall, as well as a dozen of cable connections. The recess was built inside the lab wall, coated with metallic plates, and attached on the plates straps and wires. It wasn't bigger than a changing room in a store. With all of her might, Hotaru struggled against Team Rocket without reaching anything. Pierce shoved her in the recess and pushed her to the metallic wall roughly, pinned her hands to it, and grinned at her. For a blink of an eye, she felt his breath touching her face and saw him eyeing her with interest. Meanwhile, two of the scientists chained Hotaru to that wall with the straps and with metallic buckles. Four metallic straps pinned her to the wall. One around each wrist and one on each ankle, plus another leather-like strap around her waist to keep her from fighting. She remained there like every single day before and waited for the same procedure. The walls seemed to surround her and made her even more nervous.

"I guess you regret that you tried to protect the Shaymin. But now it seems you already got used to being a test subject," Professor Sebastian grinned and stepped in front of his personal lab rat.

The girl raised her head as she heard the sarcastic mocking. In her frustration she balled her hands to fists and bit her lip. "Screw you..." Hotaru snapped, mumbling.

Threatening silence dominated the atmosphere in the lab. Sebastian narrowed his eyes coldly, his anger was clearly visible. In a fast move, he gestured one of his assistants to start the generator. Suddenly, Hotaru received a strong electrical shock and screamed in pain. The electricity burned in the spots, where the electrodes were attached. Panting and breathing heavily, Hotaru forced herself to pull herself up on the chains. She simply hung on the straps and bit her lip to suppress more yelps.

Professor Sebastian snickered silently, sat down at his usual place in front of two monitors, and typed something into his keyboard while he watched the girl suffering from the shock. His assistants prepared the other machines and turned them on to start the tests. The machines created horrible and frightening sounds as they booted up. Hotaru wished so much to just isolate herself from her surroundings, but a tiny electrical shock brought her back to reality. It began. Electricity rushed through her body, however with a low level of ampere, it rather felt a tickling, at the same time pinching feeling, though, it robbed Hotaru's strength.

The monitors showed different pictures. The girl's brainwaves, heart activity, pulse, and the different parts of her brain that got activated by the different levels of the electric current. She gritted her teeth to bear the torture.

Interested and with curiosity, Professor Sebastian gazed at the result pictures on the monitor in front of him. He saw the brainwaves in different colors, but suddenly, something caught his attention. Something seemed suspicious and different. With a single nod, he gestured one of his assistants to increase the electricity, and the man did as he was told. A single yelp escaped Hotaru's lips and she closed her eyes tightly as the command happened.  
Meanwhile, Sebastian narrowed his eyes, when the new results showed up. He threw a short glance over the rim of his glasses at Hotaru, but hid his curiosity. Slightly, his fingers played with his own goatee as he watched the girl enduring the procedure.

Another part of the procedure started. Pierce went to a separate console and hit several buttons. Two antenna-like rods moved out of wholes in the side walls of the recess. Both rods were pointing at Hotaru's temples, nearly touching her. Weakly, Hotaru tried to open her eyes to watch the happening. She saw Pierce grinning at her trembling body. His grin already told her about more sinister plans and intentions. And it came as she had suspected.

"Heart rate?" Professor Sebastian asked.

"Stable. Good physical condition," Pierce replied before he spoke again. "I think we can go to the next level."

_Level? _Hotaru thought. She wondered what they were planning now. Usually, the experiment and the day ended with a few brain scans, but today it was different. Again, Pierce pushed some red and grey buttons, and the result was a grating sound, near Hotaru. Two glass panels closed the right in front of the girl, capturing her in the recess. It was the moment panic grew in Hotaru. She was captured in a tiny, cubicle-like cabin without any escape and without sight. The glass panels were not transparent, but Hotaru had no idea that she was the only one who couldn't see anything. Team Rocket watched her from the other side of the glass. Suddenly, a second electric current met the girl's temples. It was horribly painful, but no matter how much she tried, Hotaru couldn't struggle or scream. Something controlled her body. It was like the electricity kept her in a trance. In panic, she watched everything. _Stop this! Stop this! Stop! _she screamed in her mind. The walls seemed to come closer and overwhelm her. She had the feeling of being crushed. And then, her mouth opened. "Let me out! Please, let me go!" she yelled. "Please, let me go! I beg you!"  
Tears came up and dwelt in her eyes. The situation scared her almost to death and brought back painful memories while all people around her ignored her begging.

For a moment, she closed her eyes tightly. Hotaru had felt this way before. Only pain. Sadness. Watched by physicians. The lost control over her body. And the feeling of being captured in her own mind.

"Stop it, please!" Hotaru screamed at the top of her lungs. "I beg you!"

Her heart raced and hammered against her chest, drops of sweat covered her forehead, and her throat felt sore from the screams. Immediately, the scientists checked her heart rate and her condition.

"We need to cancel the test!" one of the men yelled. "Something is wrong with her?"

Professor Sebastian gritted his teeth, slightly annoyed, but he admitted that it would make no sense to continue. Though, he noticed the difference in Hotaru's fear. It wasn't the pain that scared her nearly to death this time. "Well then. Shut the machines down," he commanded in a monotone voice. His gaze was fixed on the trembling girl and how the machines stopped working. The scary sounds in the lab vanished and Hotaru's chains opened and made her drop to her knees. Her body was still shaking, tears streamed down her face like so many times before. In her despair, to look for even the tiniest bit of comfort Hotaru wrapped her own arms around her body. All three scientists went to her and stood around her. One of the men knelt before her and lifted her head up by her hair. The expression the girl wore was blank, only showing pure fear and despair.

"That was a mental breakdown," Sebastian mumbled after he crossed his arms over his chest.

Curiously, Pierce turned his head to face the scientist. "Hm?"

Professor Sebastian kept quiet, though he suspected something. He had watched Hotaru with slighter anxiety states before, but never noticed it until now. The time passed only slowly until Hotaru calmed down. Her breathing soothed and the trembling stopped. But instead, the urge to gag overcame her.

"Shall we use a tranquilizer on her?" one of the scientists asked. "She isn't even responsive."

"No, wait," he told them. A tiny gesture was enough to tell his assistants to pull the girl back on her feet again. She hung in their grasp, motionless, nearly liveless, but sobbing and shivering. A weak sign that she was noticing her surroundings again. "Your crying is getting tiresome, girl," Professor Sebastian said to the girl, glaring at her.

It was the first thing Hotaru realized, consciously. She tried to stand on her feet alone, but was still weak-kneed. _Tire...some...? _"You... call me...tiresome?" she asked, stammering and baring her teeth. _Why... can't they just leave me alone? I haven't done anything to them and yet they're hurting me... _"Let me tell you what is tiresome and annoying..." Hotaru sobbed. She caught Team Rocket's attention, though she knew that her attitude would bring her harm again. Her frustration took over her, though she couldn't even speak a minute ago. Her breathing hardened and turned into a hectic panting. "Your arrogance is tiresome! Do you think you can do anything that you want? First you kidnapped me, then you used me as experiment for no reason! There is no moment you don't beat, humiliate, or hurt me!" Hotaru's eyes became teary again, and her lips trembled. Slowly, a few more cheeks escaped her. The word 'hurt' reminded her of her wounds on her temples and neck, painful wounds and marks on her skin caused by electric shocks. "Why...can't you just leave me alone? I haven't done anything to you..." she whimpered. _I can't stand this anymore... why can't they just let me free?_

Pierce grinned the girl, who seemed weak in his opinion. "Naive. It seems that you haven't learned your lesson yet. And you still haven't learned that you belong to us."

"I don't belong to anyone!" Hotaru screamed as she broke out in tears. Somehow, she managed to get out of the scientist's hold and balled her hands to fists. Surrounded by Rocket agents and scientists, she still found the courage to speak out her mind. "You can't just keep me as lab rat..."

With a hiss, Pierce turned to his supervisor, Sebastian, and tossed a glance at him. "She is getting on my nerves now."

Nodding, Professor Sebastian agreed and stared at Hotaru with a frightening expression before he stepped in front of her. "My dear, you will get one last chance. Keep quiet now," he snapped at her.

In a battle of glares, Hotaru kept up with him. Her glares clearly showed her resistance. She watched how Professor Sebastian raised his right hand and already knew what was going to happen. Quickly, she tried to close her eyes, but it happened faster than she had thought, it was already too late. Sebastian slapped Hotaru with all might, which nearly knocked her off her feet. The girl was dazed for a moment, until she felt a warm liquid running down her chin. It was the strongest slap she had ever experienced and it had made her bottom lip break, it also caused a horrible atmosphere in the room. Hotaru noticed the stinging and tearing pain in her left cheek, and felt a red mark appearing on her skin.

"Seemingly your parents have never taught you how to behave," Professor Sebastian snapped at her while he narrowed his eyes.

Hotaru's heart skipped a beat. Anger grew inside her. "You..." she yelled as she jumped at the scientist to attack him.

Suddenly, Pierce grabbed her arms and pushed her down to the cold floor. With one hand he held her wrists behind her back, and with the other hand he pushed her head down roughly, causing her face to hit the metallic ground. She struggled to get out of his grasp, but without success. Instead, Pierce climbed on top of her and pushed her down with his body weight. "Quick!" Pierce shouted to the scientists and one brought him a syringe filled with an anesthetic. The two other men helped to hold her down while Pierce rammed the needle into Hotaru's neck.

The girl screamed in pain and kept struggling for a few seconds until her strength faded. She felt numb and only groaned before she passed out.

Evilly, Pierce chuckled and straightened, still eyeing the defeated girl.

"Well done." Professor Sebastian viewed how Hotaru got dragged away. He became silent and his look calculating. Something conspiscuous had bothered him for quite a while, and Hotaru's behavior only confirmed his thoughts.

* * *

Slowly, Hotaru opened her eyes. Somehow, everything seemed upside down and blurred after her deep sleep. She closed her eyes and opened them again, blinked a few times and let her gaze wander through her room. It took a while until she noticed, that it wasn't her real room, at home on Chrono Island. Hotaru had slept in the room Team Rocket had allowed her to live in.  
A tiny room, more with the size of a prison cell, provided with a simple bed, a desk, a chair, and a tiny wardrobe with only a few drawers. Next to it, a door that led int a petite bathroom. No windows, only artificial light, and no way to escape.

Hotaru pushed herself off the mattress and sat on her knees. At the moment, she couldn't tell, which pain was worse. The wounds on her temples and neck, the injection side on her neck, the bad headache, or her burning cheeks. It was her personal record, being slapped and beaten so many times a day.

It was by far one of the worst days she had experienced since she had been kidnapped.

"Ow..." Hotaru groaned and rubbed her neck as she remained sitting cross-legged. Her gaze wandered to her skirt, still dirty and tattered. Just like the rest of her school uniform. Her hair was messy and single strands of her hair stood upright._ I hate my life, _she thought. Her lips started to tremble as she bit back tears. It was just so frustrating, she didn't even notice her rumbling stomach in her despair. Hotaru hadn't eaten for days, she had refused most of the food Team Rocket gave her, though it wasn't much.

_I don't want this anymore... Why do I deserve this? Damn it... _Hotaru dug her fingers in her blanket to suppress the trembling.

Like so many times before, Hotaru felt trapped. She was panicking as the walls seemed to approach her and had the feeling of being crushed any second.

'Click'

The sound of the door getting unlocked ripped Hotaru out of her thoughts. To her own surprise, it was Professor Sebastian who entered her room. Usually, only his assistants came to pick her up, or Pierce. But the professor visiting her himself was quite a surprise. "Did you sleep well, little mouse?" Sebastian asked in a mocking tone and closed the door. Hotaru glanced at him, narrowed her eyes, but refused to talk. The professor stepped closer to her until he remained right before her, staring down at the girl, his cold eyes and his aura made Hotaru shiver every single time. "Tell me. What were you thinking? You know that you can't escape and you knew the consequences. So, why did you try to run away?" he asked her.

"I don't know..." Hotaru mumbled with her head lowered.

A sigh escaped Sebastian's lips. "Claustrophobia?" he asked suddenly.

Hotaru's eyes snapped open and she stared at the scientist. The sudden change of the subject didn't shock her, however his words did. Shivering, Hotaru bit her lip. "What... How do you..."

"Your behavior in closed and small rooms and your reactions are typical symptoms for claustrophobia. I noticed it several times, but your breakdown town proved my suspicion. I'm curious, how come you suffer from that phobia?" he asked while putting his hands on his hips.

"I've had a bad experience a few years ago..." Hotaru muttered silently and gritted her teeth. The memories hit her like a stone and made her grab her blanket even tighter. She curled up and wrapped her arms around her knees, searching for some comfort, desperately.

Impatiently, Professor Sebastian waited for further information, without success though. He let out another, louder sigh in slight annoyance and searched for something in his coat pocket, pulling out a tube of rash cream. In the moment he opened the tube, Hotaru leaned away from him, but got caught. Sebastian had her wrist in an iron-like grip and pulled her back. "Hold still!" Sebastian snapped at her. He caught both of her wrists and held them in one hand and prevented her from struggling. "Just be a good girl and stay still!"  
In the end, Hotaru stopped resisting and surrendered this time. It was only uncomfortable for her as Professor Sebastian put some cream on her sore spots on her temples and on her neck. The cream caused a cooling feeling, a feeling that Hotaru had missed. For the first time, she was able to relax. But the feeling didn't remain for long. Immediatly, when Sebastian touched the collar of her blouse.

"Wh...what..." Hotaru gasped and flinched.

"Calm down. I don't intend to hurt you, unless you keep fighting," the scientist told her, muttering.

Hotaru hesitated, she simply felt so embarrassed and ashamed of herself.

Sebastian stared at her and watched her expression changing, as well as the slight blush on her cheeks. "You have never learned any manners. I guess I was right. You're only a naive child, not able to do something by yourself and spoiled rotten by your parents." He knew, he had struck a nerve, but waited for her response patiently. Provoking her was the only way to get straight to the point, and it was another good way to break her will as well.

Her eyes grew wide for a moment and Hotaru bit her inner lip to control herself. Her facial expression softened and the hint of resistance in her eyes disappeared. "You have no idea," she mumbled quietly, and not audible. First, her hands balled to fists, but the tension decreased again, like the rest of the tension in her body. With a lowered head, she tried to hide her face. Secretly, she wished to vanish or disappear in smoke. Her blonde bangs covered her eyes and nearly half of the face and jittered with the rest of her trembling and shivering body.

Slowly, the professor reached out with his hand to give her the tube of rash cream, but suddenly Hotaru slapped his hand away. The tube dropped to the floor. Neither Hotaru nor Sebastian made a move to pick it up again. Instead, Professor Sebastian reached out for her collar, grabbed it, and pulled her closer roughly. He raised his hand, but stopped for some reason.

Tears streamed down Hotaru's face and dropped to the floor like tiny pearls. Her facade fell in the end.

"Then...your..." the scientist mumbled and narrowed his eyes. He had reached his goal finally and broke her will.

Weakly, Hoaru nodded, still shivering in his grip. Her lips trembled and nearly couldn't move to speak. Gasping and choking between the words, Hotaru tried to say the truth. "My parents... died seven years ago in a car accident..." she stammered.


	7. Connected Fates

**Long chapter ahead! But please read and review :)  
**

**My poll will be open for the next three to four days, but I will close it after that time. Last chance to vote!**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Connected Fates  
**

"My parents..." Hotaru stuttered, sobbing. "They died in a car accident..."

Slowly, Professor Sebastian let go of her collar, but narrowed his eyes, watching her frightened and scared expression. His lips moved, but no sound came out of his mouth. He listened to the girl quietly, and interested.

Hotaru's tear-stained face embarrassed her, it showed her true feelings and how weak and defenseless she was at the moment. She lowered her head to hide it before she dropped on her mattress again. Her trembling hands wandered to her face held the weight of her head in her palms. Her shoulders trembled with the rest of her shaking body. Why couldn't she stay brave now? Somehow, her rage, her attitude, and the last bit of her courage vanished. "I am alone since their death..."she mumbled under the sobs. "I... I thought... I could..." There was no sense in speaking. She choked on her own saliva over and over again before she could even finish her sentences.

Scenes and moments of her past flashed into her head, showing her the painful memories she hid deep in her mind and causing a horrible nausea. The pictures appeared even when she closed her eyes. Hotaru covered her mouth with her hand to prevent herself from throwing up.

"Then, the accident also caused your phobia, I presume?" the scientist asked, curiously.

After a short nod, Hotaru opened her mouth. "And my ability..."

Sebastian arched an eyebrow in suspicion. "How come? What happened exactly?" he asked in a calm voice and sat down next to the girl. His gaze was fixed on her thin, shivering silhouette. On closer inspections of her features he suddenly noticed the hint of loneliness hidden in her eyes and her true self.

Biting her inner lip, Hotaru turned and lowered her head. Her hands folded in her lap and her back bent, it was such a familiar position for her. Hiding in a dark corner, huddled, and her face overflowed with tears, Hotaru knew the feeling to well. Usually, she sat in her room, alone, just thinking about the past, yet trying to fight the memories, which kept bothering her. "It happened... seven years ago. On the day, when I became eight years old..." Hotaru muttered. She had no idea, why she told the Rocket scientist her story, but for once she was able to talk about it. "Back then, I lived on Fortune Island together with my parents. On my birthday, they told me that they had a big surprise... just for me..."

_**"Mama! Papa! Tell me what it is, please! What is my present?" A young Hotaru chirped and bounced on her feet in excitement. She hopped up and down, ran in circles, and followed her parents through their house to the garage. "Pretty please. Pretty, pretty, pretty please. I can't wait," she begged and wrapped her arms around her father's arm, letting herself getting dragged to the car. For that special day, she wore her summer dress, a light blue dress with a big white ribbon on her right strap. Usually, she wouldn't wear dresses, but the occasion was perfect. Her hair was bound in a high ponytail, though only a small one.  
**_

_**Hotaru mother came as well, wearing a kind and warm-hearted smile on her lips. A woman with blonde hair, tied into a plait, and beautiful brown eyes. It was obvious that Hotaru had inherited her hair color from her mother, and her facial features. Her strong eyes came from her father's side. She patted her daughter's head and ruffled her short, blonde hair. "You're a big girl now, and big girls need to have patience, Hotaru," she told the girl. Also, earning a nod from her husband, Hotaru's mother chuckled and hugged her daughter carefully. "We will meet a good friend of ours, and there you will get your present, sweetheart." **_

_**"Promise?" Hotaru asked her mother, testing if they were telling the truth.**_

_**"Promise," her mother replied. **_

_**Like a flash, Hotaru pulled open the car door and hopped in, fastened her seat belt, and waited impatiently. She had no idea, where her parents wanted to go, but it had to be a great place. Her parents got in the car, her father on the driver's seat, her mother next to him. With a remote her father opened the garage gate and heard the sound of raindrops hitting the island. The weather wasn't the best. The heavy rain had surprised Hotaru's parents, though it was normal for an island. In one moment the sun could shine and five minutes later clouds could cover the sky and rain fell. However, only rain couldn't stop them. Their trip started and Hotaru shifted around on her seat.  
**_

"Fortune Island... Fortune... That day I learned the true meaning of the word fortune..." Hotaru murmured and pulled her knees up. Her legs were cold and to warm them, Hotaru sat on her knees and covered her legs with her tattered, red school skirt.

_**The rain became stronger as they drove along a road through the forest of the island. Their destination was the south of the island, but no one in the car knew that they would never reach it. Concentrated, Hotaru's father tried to peek through the windscreen wipers, but he could barely see the road. Trees of the jungle slope hung over the asphalt and made it difficult to see obstacles or the contraflow. "We should have stayed at home for a little longer," Hotaru's father said, kind of nervous. **_

_**"Then let's turn around," Hotaru's mother suggested. **_

_**"You're right. I will try to find a place to turn the car around." The girl's father increased the speed of the wipers, but it didn't help at all. He only saw a blurred mix of grey and green colors and the road making a sharp bend. **_

"It happened so fast..." Hotaru sobbed. "I noticed it first until it was over..."

**_Even though, her father decreased the speed, he couldn't see what was after the curve. In the moment, he drove around it, he only saw a mudslide overrunning the road and a forthcoming car trying to dodge the mudslide. In a split of a second, Hotaru's father stepped on the brake pedal, but it was too late. The impact with the other car made Hotaru scream. She felt how the collision ripped her out of her seat__, and suddenly everything got dark. _**

_**Every part of Hotaru's body hurt, she couldn't move, and her sight became clear only very slowly. Hotaru groaned as she opened her eyes. Everything seemed upside down. She found herself stuck between the seats and the rest of the destroyed car. Blood ran down her face. Bruises and cuts covered her body, the left part of her torso hurt horribly, and she couldn't feel her limbs anymore. Hotaru couldn't recognize her parents' car anymore. Everything was destroyed, damaged, and crushed. The car windows were shattered, the seats crushed. "M...Mum? Dad?" Hotaru stuttered and sobbed. With all of her might, she tried to turn her head, but couldn't, but her gaze found her parents. Motionless, stuck, and lifeless. Tears ran down Hotaru's cheeks and mixed up with the warm, red liquid. Neither of them moved, or replied. Hotaru sobbed loudly and started to cry. "Mama... Papa?" The sight of her lifeless parents made her mind go insane. "Please... say something...please..." she choked before darkness came over her and devoured Hotaru.  
**_

Hotaru wiped her tears away with her right hand, but the tears wouldn't stop. Every time she had to think about this happening, she lost control over herself.

"They died in front of your eyes?" Professor Sebastian asked.

The girl nodded weakly and sniveled. "They died right in front of my eyes and I couldn't do anything," she repeated his words before she spoke again. "As I woke up again, I found myself in a hospital... but..."

**_Light got through Hotaru's eyelids and forced her to open her eyes. The strong, artificial light of the bulbs in the hospital room blinded her, but Hotaru couldn't move her hand to cover eyes. Neither could she move or turn her head. "What...is going on?" Hotaru thought. She wanted to speak it out loud, but her lips didn't move. Pictures of her dead parents jumped in her mind and she only wanted to cry. Nothing. Nothing worked. Hotaru was captured inside her own body and felt trapped. Her body didn't obey her. Around her were physicians and doctors who tried to talk to her, but something prevented her from replying. _**

"The car crash was worse than I ever had imagined. It had killed the people inside the other car and my parents... I was the only one surviving it, but with horrible injuries. When I woke up, I had lost the ability to speak and move. Apart from several broken bones I had a serious brain injury. It paralyzed me completely. I was captured inside my body. For weeks. I didn't know if the physicians noticed me watching them, but they looked at me as if they were looking at a corpse. I was scared and didn't know what was going to happen, but I recognized that my parents would never come back. I regretted that I survived. All I wanted was my parents, my family," Hotaru told the scientist, who was listening quietly. "Soon, I heard strange voices in my head, but they weren't human. I couldn't cover my ears to avoid it and they nearly made me go insane."

"The voices of Pokémon?" Sebastian asked, narrowing his eyes.

Hotaru nodded, sobbing. Her gaze was fixed on the floor, then wandered to her mattress and to her hands at last. Her hands were placed on her legs and her fingernails dug through the fabric of the skirt. "I wanted it to stop, but they kept plaguing me, however, after while I didn't care about it anymore. I tried to live with it. Instead I started to reply to the voices, but only in my mind because I still couldn't speak. I found a way to communicate with Pokémon, and they became my friends. It was the only way for me to see something else than the hospital room I was stuck in. With the Pokémon's help I saw the outside world again with their eyes, and felt alive again."

_**Wild pidgey visited Hotaru several times a day and landed on the ledge of her window. They greeted her and asked her how she felt. Somehow, Hotaru had the feeling that they cared more about her than the doctors and physicians. Or anyone else in the world. **_

"But there is something quite unrealistic in your story," Sebastian said with a hiss. "How come you have no further afflictions, and how come you can speak and move again?"

"It took me three years to learn it," Hotaru mumbled after she tossed a short glance with her teary eyes at him. "I was completely paralyzed for nearly two months, but my lips started moving again, however, only when I was talking to Pokémon mentally. Slowly, I was able to make sounds and move my mouth. Month after month I gained the ability to move again, but I needed physical practice and therapies. After one year I could move completely again, after two years I was able to walk by myself. And three years after the accident I was able to live a normal human life. And yet, something was different. I could talk to Pokémon mentally and verbally."

Professor Sebastian let out a sigh. His patience sank. The story about her life wasn't relevant for him, only the details of how she received her gift.

Hotaru noticed the tension in the room and bit her lip. "In that time I was in strict medical attendance and wasn't allowed to leave the hospital, and when the physicians asked me how I started to talk again, I told them about the Pokémon visiting me. It soon became known in the hospital that I can communicate with Pokémon mentally, and suddenly people from the Institution of Pokémon Science and Behavior appeared. They heard about my new gift." Hotaru felt the scientist's interest growing and didn't want to keep him waiting. Only the fear of getting beaten again made her talk. "They came to me with an offer and I agreed. The condition was that they could examine my ability. They would have given me anything just to investigate me. So, I quickly started a normal life again, I moved to Chrono Island and received my first Pokémon from the institution, in other words my Espeon. But it was only part of the experiment... and I was the test subject, " Hotaru told him and sighed. _Like I am now... _She wiped the last, dried tears away and glanced at Professor Sebastian shyly, waiting for him to reply.

A mix of interest, curiosity, and taunt was hidden in the professor's eyes as he stared at the girl. He straightened and adjusted his glasses, before he stepped in front of the girl. "To be honest, your story surprised me. Especially the fact that the accident was the cause for your gift."

"I would rather call it curse. People always avoided me because I am different." Narrowing her eyes, Hotaru suppressed a small, fake laugh. "And I don't expect any compassion from you. I know you just came here to get more information about my so-called gift."

Professor Sebastian chuckled. "Smart girl," he snickered and turned to leave her room, but he stopped. Sebastian threw a small glance over his shoulder. "That offer... what did you want in return?" he asked.

"The permission to live on my own," Hotaru answered. "I wanted my personal freedom," she said and gazed at the scientist. _But only because they never wanted to have the responsibility for me... _Her expression was blank, as well as her hopes to escape Team Rocket. After she had told the professor the truth about her life, she somehow couldn't find any more reasons to fight. She remembered the many times she had sat in her room, crying, just like she was now. _  
_

A moment of silence passed before Sebastian left her room. The click-sound of the key proved that she would be alone for the rest of the day. Captured in a tiny room. Without anyone, and without any hopes.

* * *

Professor Sebastian's gaze wandered over the documents and radiograph pictures, all of them were proving the truth in Hotaru's radiographs showed tiny hints of bone fratures in the past, which he had ignored the whole time. It has been a day since he had talked to her. Then, he picked up different papers from his desk and continued with them. All were about Hotaru's physical and mental condition.

Suddenly, a knock caught his attention, distracting him from reading.

"Come in," Sebastian said.

The door to his office opened and Pierce entered. His gaze held a surprise, as well as the envelope in his right hand. "Professor, we received the permission," he said, straight forwarded and in a deep tone before he handed the envelope to the scientist.

Without many other expectations Sebastian opened it and pulled out a white paper, the message from another hideout in Johto. "Good. Then, We will leave the hideout tomorrow morning. Prepare everything," he told Pierce and mentioned him to leave now. The only answer was a nod, and Pierce left quickly. A silent sigh escaped the scientist's lips as he put the letter away and caught up with his previous papers. "I guess we can continue our work properly," he mumbled to himself and turned with his office chair around, eyeing the picture of Hotaru, which was attached on the document with a paperclip. _Natsukawa... Hotaru... _ he thought.

He got up from his chair and left his office as well, heading toward the outer section of the base.

In the same time, Hotaru sat on the floor of her room with her back leaned on the side of her bed, staring at the ceiling. Her knees pulled up and bent, her head leaned back and placed on the mattress. A loud sigh escaped her mouth. She dreamed of lying on a green meadow, or at the beach on Chrono Island. Watching the sky, hearing the waves of the ocean, and feeling a salty breeze in her face. Hotaru could tell, she had never missed Chrono Island so much. However, at the same time thoughts of her old home on Fortune Island came into her mind. How her perfect life turned into a lonely way of living, and now into a hell.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of her door opening and turned her head a little. With her narrowed and tired eyes she saw Professor Sebastian entering her room.

"Another examination today?" she asked, impassively.

"No. Not anymore," Sebastian replied, but paused. "At least not here."

He caught her attention a little and eventually, Hotaru's eyes widened a little in surprise. "What?" she asked in slight disbelief.

"Don't raise your hopes that we will let you free, little mouse," Professor Sebastian said and stepped right in front of her, staring down at her. "We will leave this place tomorrow. Our destination is another hideout in northeast Johto. The laboratories are perfect for further tests and the efficient work with your ability," he explained. His words sent shivers down her spine. Somehow, she felt more pain coming towards her. According to his words, the tests she had experienced were only the beginning.

Nervously, Hotaru bit her inner lip. "And 'we' means..."

"It means 'us', your Pokémon, and Shaymin. We can't continue our work with Shaymin here. The damage of the lab is worse than we had imagined and most programs and machines aren't working anymore. It is the same with you, we can only refine and advance our technologies to copy your ability with the right equipment," the professor told her.

Hotaru rolled her eyes secretly and sighed. With her hands placed on her knees, she pushed herself up and straightened. "It's bad enough to experiment on me, but leave Espeon and Shaymin out of this..." the girl mumbled.

A fake laugh came over Sebastian's lips and he lifted Hotaru's head a little by putting a finger under her chin, making her look him in the eyes. "Your Pokémon is not necessarily important for our research, it could only help us to study your ability further. And about Shaymin... I guess you're not aware of its true power. Come," Sebastian said and gestured her to follow him. Hesitating, Hotaru tried to avoid it, but eventually did what he said. Their way led out of her room, in a complex she had never seen before. Laboratories everywhere in that part of the hideout, even more than in the section she knew. "A Shaymin is small, but it possesses the power to destroy whole areas. Most people, even our superiours, do underestimate this power. But once we can control it, we could-"

"Destroy Pokémon's and people's lives for your selfish plans?" Hotaru asked sarcastically, interrupting him. Her glare hardened and the tiny glance hit the Rocket scientist like a dagger, though he didn't care. "I know exactly what you have done to Shaymin," Hotaru muttered.

"Really? How come?" Sebastian snickered, somewhat satisfied. "Let me guess, it is another part of your gift. I know you can do more than just talk to Pokémon, my dear."

Slowly, Hotaru narrowed her eyes and nodded. They still haven't reached their destination, and the silence made her feel uncomfortable. "It's true... I can read a Pokémon's mind. I can look at its memories and see through its eyes," Hotaru explained. "But I still don't know, how this could be useful for you." Her thoughts captured her attention, she already knew the answer, but didn't want to accept the truth. There was more behind her words than she had told him, though she knew how Team Rocket had observed her. It was too terrifying. A cold shiver met her body and made her freeze. Immediately, Hotaru wrapped her arms around herself. Suddenly, Hotaru's eyes widened as they came around a corner. The hallway was completely destroyed. The floor damaged, the walls contained holes and the metallic ceiling had collapsed to the rocky roof above it. This part of the hideout was exposed, it seemed like a giant whole in the mountain.

Hotaru stared at it in disbelief. "What... happened here?" she asked. At the precise same moment, she remembered the night of storm. That explosion and the damaged forest. _Could it be... Shaymin? It really did all this? _she asked in her thoughts. _Then it really happened that night. I was right, the storm didn't destroy the jungle. It was that hedgehog Pokémon. Amazing..._

"We were careless and underestimated your tiny hedgehog friend, and that was the result. It escaped and found its way to you," Professor Sebastian explained. "Behind this corridor lies the machine complex and laboratory F to J, all destroyed by an immense attack we call Seed Flare. It is an attack where a Shaymin collects energy from the nature and its surroundings, and releases it as explosion. The strength detonation could be easily compared to a strong earthquake. Now, you can see by yourself," the scientist told the girl while he watched her shocked expression.

"Where is Shaymin now?" Hotaru shouted loudly. _When we met, it was sick... I hope it is okay now. _

Professor Sebastian glanced at her, without saying a word. He could see it in her eyes. The girl was simply worried about Shaymin. She didn't show any attitude or resistance. Only a simple nod was the answer as Sebastian mentioned the blonde-haired girl to follow him, however his glare became colder. Hotaru followed him without resistance, she only wanted to see Shaymin. The scientist brought her along another dark hallway to a huge gate made of glass, though she couldn't see what was behind that gate. Sebastian opened the electronic lock with his magnetic ID card and immediately, the gate opened, revealing a high-tech laboratory. Machines everywhere, the floor white and horribly sterile, and scientists in white lab coats walking around.

A huge glass panel, like a window, caught her attention. She found another room behind it and saw a tiny, green Pokémon in the room. Rapidly, Hotaru sprinted to the window, and she was right. Behind the window was Shaymin. In a giant, hemisphere-like lab. The walls were isolated and reinforced against the hedgehog's attacks. In the middle of the room, Shaymin remained on a table-like construction, which was surrounded by several tubes filled with a bizarre pinkish gas. The hedgehog panted and gasp for air, the flowers on its head already wilted, and it fought with the darkness surrounding it.

Shaymin seemed to be exhausted. Hotaru could tell from its weak appearance, she was able to feel its aura. Shaymin's condition was worse than before. "Shaymin..." Hotaru mumbled, her lips were trembling.

Suddenly, Shaymin changed its form from a hedgehog to a tiny deer-like Pokémon, but then it changed back. Every transformation exhausted it more and more.

"The Pokémon possesses a special ability. Unlike other Pokémon it can change to another form. In other words, Shaymin has two different appearances, we call it the Land Forme and the Sky Forme. The appearance of a deer is the Sky Forme, in this form it can fly and the strength of its attacks increased by nearly thirty percent. During nights and snowfall it can't transform, though. The only advantage the Land Forme provides is the power of Seed Flare," Professor Sebastian explained as he stepped next to Hotaru and watched the hedgehog Pokémon through the glass.

Hotaru lowered her head and leaned her forehead on the glass. She could barely watch Shaymin suffering. "But... when you said it isn't able to change during night... how come..." she stuttered.

"There is one condition for a Shaymin to transform. The pollen of a Gracidea flower. They cause a chemical reaction and force the Pokémon's cells to change, though it is different from an evolution. The extract you can see in those tubes is from the pollen, only with a better and stronger effect." After a small pause, Sebastian spoke again. His expression hadn't changed a bit, as well as the tone of his voice. "I know, what you wanted to say. How come Shaymin was able to remain in the Sky Forme during its journey? Before the accident happened, we used real Gracidea flowers for the tests. Shaymin stole one and escaped. The constant influence of the pollen forced it to remain in the form, but we assume that the Pokémon lost the flower shortly after it reached Chrono Island."

_How cruel... horrible..._ Hotaru didn't listen to the head scientist. She was more concerned about the Pokémon. "You're... horrible..." she stammered. "Why do you keep torturing Shaymin so much?"

"Obviously, our plans are too ambitious for a child to understand," Sebastian snickered, mockingly. He leaned his hands on his hips and turned his head a little to face the girl. "You still don't understand the power of that Pokémon. It could be a great weapon if we are able to control it," he said.

A cold shudder crawled down Hotaru's spine. Her skin tingled. Every single hair of her body stood upright in shock. Hearing those words nearly caused her to collapse. She couldn't believe her ears. Never before Hotaru had felt such a sinister atmosphere, such cruelty.

_"Don't worry, Hotaru."_

Rapidly, Hotaru raised her head and stared at Shaymin through the glass. Only seconds ago she had heard its voice in her thoughts. _"Shaymin?"_

_"Don't worry. I will help you, just like you helped me,"_ Shaymin said, mentally, though it had its eyes closed.

Hotaru started sobbing and nearly dropped to her knees. Her shaking legs could barely carry her, her strength faded into the nowhere. The only support she found was the rim of the glass window she held on. "_But... I couldn't do anything. I couldn't protect you,"_ Hotaru replied in her mind. Tiny tears dropped from her face like pearls. Tightly, Hotaru gritted her teeth in despair. "_I'm so useless and weak... I'm sorry. Shaymin. Espeon. I couldn't do anything to save you..." _The girl cried silently but a familiar voice ripped her out of her thoughts.

"Professor, we've prepared our departure. Everything goes according to plan," Pierce said. Hotaru didn't even notice him coming and approaching her. And suddenly, he was only a few steps behind her. With his hands in the pockets of his coat, a cold look, and a slight grin on his face he glanced at the Trainer girl.

Quickly, Hotaru wiped across her face with her arm to get rid of her tears. She didn't want to be the weak girl in her enemies' eyes. But all she felt now was pure hatred and anger. She forced herself to look away from the agent, otherwise she thought, she would have attacked him eventually. Her hands became tight fists she held close to her body.

"Well done," Professor Sebastian replied.

"Now, we only need to prepare our guests for the transport," Pierce chuckled and stared at the girl.

Hotaru's breathing became lower. She suspected something bad, even the atmosphere surrounding her pointed at it. Abruptly, Pierce grabbed her arm and pulled her closer. Hotaru leaned away from him with her whole might, only to get dragged closer in one jerk. A strong beat across her head was the result of her resistance. Hotaru felt dizzy and exhausted. The punch had nearly knocked her off her feet, but instead Pierce caught her in his arms. Her view was blurred, but she fought against the darkness coming over her. With a tight grip Pierce ensured that Hotaru couldn't escape.

Meanwhile, Professor Sebastian pulled a syringe out of his coat pocket. Hotaru watched him through her half-opened eyes. In that moment it was clear that they had prepared all this. Hotaru had no chance against two grown men and she refused to fight this time. The punch before had robbed the last bit of her energy, and she found no sense in struggling. As Sebastian slowly shoved the needle under the skin of her neck, she squirmed and yelped, even though it wasn't very painful. The fear of having no control while she would be asleep took over her.

Hotaru felt the liquid running through her veins. The tranquilizer showed effect shortly after she got injected. Her arms and legs got numb, her head and eyelids heavy, and she lost the ability to speak. Her eyes closed after a while, and eventually, she collapsed in Pierce's arms.

"It's only for your own good, my dear," Professor Sebastian mumbled. He narrowed his eyes as he glanced at the unconscious girl.

* * *

Silently, Hotaru grunted as she woke up. Her head felt so heavy and hurt.

_What happened? _Hotaru thought, when she opened her eyes. _Oh right... Shaymin... I saw Shaymin. _Somehow, she couldn't see anything. A blindfold prevented her from seeing her surroundings. She wasn't even able to feel the floor beneath her. For a good reason, someone carried her. Hotaru felt the rhythm of the walking person, each step. And how that person carried her wasn't very comfortable. She hung over somebody's shoulder. Then, she heard more steps of more people around. Mumbling as well, but everything sounded so fuzzy, indistinct.

Hotaru closed her eyes again and decided to pretend to sleep, she didn't struggle nor move. It was the best option she had.

"Professor Sebastian, we finished the preparations. The departure starts, when we finished refueling the helicopter."

Pierce's voice. Rapidly, the blood in Hotaru's veins froze. She felt strong shudders running through her body, like electricity.

"Well done." This time it was Professor Sebastian who spoke.

Hotaru felt how Pierce carried her again. The sound of his steps changed. Focused and concentrated, Hotaru tried to observe her surroundings, even though she couldn't see. The change of the sound meant that Pierce walked on a different ground. It sounded lighter and created tiny echoes. Did he walk up some stairs? In reality, Hotaru wasn't very far away from the truth. Pierce walked up a ramp that led to a giant helicopter. It rather equaled a huge combat helicopter. He brought her into the construction, into one of the storage rooms in the rear of the helicopter.

Suddenly, he let her down and placed her with her back against a wooden transport box. Pierce glared at the girl for a moment, he eyed her motionless appearance and watched her closely, until he left her alone in the room and locked the metallic door.

Immediately, Hotaru struggled, but she couldn't move. Her hands were tied behind her back tightly, and the tranquilizer still showed effect on her. _Damn it... _Hotaru cursed mentally. She struggled against the rope around her wrists, but it didn't loosen. The blindfold was the other problem. She couldn't get it off. Seemingly, Team Rocket wanted to prevent her from seeing the route of their flight. Slowly, Hotaru sighed and leaned back in defeat. Her lips started trembling again, in frustration and in fear. Wasn't it already bad enough? How could it come any worse? The images, which ran through Hotaru's head nearly scared her to death. _What now? What now? _"What will happen now?" Hotaru mumbled, asking herself.

_"Hotaru?" _a week voice asked.

"Shaymin?" Hotaru raised her head as she hear the Pokémon's voice. It was close to her, perhaps only a few meters away from her, in a different store room. Hotaru could tell, it was exhausted and felt horrible, but she felt its aura. Team Rocket also planned to take Shaymin to the new hideout. As well, Hotaru noticed Espeon's presence. It was captured in its Poké Ball. The Poké Ball was like a barrier and didn't allow Hotaru to talk with her Pokémon, though she could recognize it.

_"How do you feel, Shaymin?" _Hotaru asked.

_"I've had better days in my life..._" Shaymin replied.

A fake, desperate chuckle escaped Hotaru's lips. _"I guess we have something in common there... I'm sorry, Shaymin. Maybe this will be the end. I don't know, what is going to happen to us, but I know we're sharing the same fate,_" the girl said. Tears came up in her eyes but got caught by the cloth of the blindfold.

_"Do you want to give up now?"_

Hotaru bit her lip. "I don't know," she spoke, and she also thought it. _"How are the chances for a girl and a hedgehog to win against a whole organization? But I have never imagined that it would end like this."_

_"Maybe it won't," _Shaymin said mentally.

_"Maybe. If miracles really exist,"_ Hotaru answered. She pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her head on her knees. If she had been able to move she would have wrapped her arms around her legs. And more importantly, she would have scratched her now itching temple. The burning marks have disappeared and healed slightly, but they itched and bothered her. Hotaru rubbed her head against her knees and noticed, how the blindfold loosened. She simply rubbed it off her head. "Yes," Hotaru smiled. Hope, even the tiniest bit came up inside her. It was like a light spark in the darkness, like a firefly flying in a dark night. With her knees clamping her head, she finally got the cloth off. It wasn't very bright in that store room. Only a few light rays shined through a tiny, elongated window, however the rays became stronger. In one jump, Hotaru jumped to her feet and hopped on one of the boxes near the wall. She wasn't tall enough to reach that window, but saw two hatches opening above the helicopter and revealing the blue sky. Suddenly, Hotaru heard the sounds of rotors and felt like being lifted up.

_"What's happening?" _Shaymin asked.

_"We're going to take off..."_ Hotaru thought. She squeezed her eyes shut nervously.

A hydraulic platform lifted the helicopter up to the opening in the ground. There was not much time left. If they have taken off now, there was no way to escape. "We need to get out of here," Hotaru mumbled to herself. Again, she hopped off the wooden box and walked in circles, trying to think of a plan. _"Shaymin, can you do something for me?" _Hotaru asked mentally and squinted her eyes shut. No answer came, but she was sure that Shaymin had heard her. _"We can't escape without you. I have heard of your attack. Please, can you use it?" _the girl asked.

Weakly, Shaymin murmured. _"No... I can't... something is stealing...my...my..." _It was captured in a cage made of glass. The edged held tiny metallic tubes, which absorbed the energy within the cage. It was the reason Shaymin couldn't do anything. It absorbed the energy and its strength.

"Let me see," Hotaru said. She sat down, in indian-style, lowered her head, and closed her eyes. Her mind felt so light, so empty. Hotaru hadn't used this very often, but in this situation it was necessary. Within the next second she opened her eyes again, but not in her actual body. She saw through Shaymin's eyes now. Its surroundings were strange. The girl was able to see the cage, feel how it absorbed the energy within, and saw the room around Shaymin. Team Rocket had put it in a storage room as well. Empty cages and boxes were piled up. "We need to blow up your cage and one of the outer walls. But we need to do it now! Once we're in the air, we can't use your attacks...if we don't want to die! But I also don't want to spend the rest of my life as test object!" Hotaru exclaimed.

_"But...I can't," _Shaymin sobbed. _"Not without you!"_

_"This is our only chance. If we fail now... I don't want to think about_ _it!_ In the next moment, a jolt hit the helicopter. It was nearly ready to take off and the platform had almost reached the surface. _"Hurry!" _Once more, Hotaru closed her eyes. She felt Shaymin's presence right next to hers and found herself in the hedgehog's body again. Only seconds separated them from the critical moment. The last chance for them to get back their freedom, however Hotaru knew the chances were low. It was only a plan to bring the helicopter back to the ground, but then? What would happen then?

Praying and hoping, Hotaru screamed in her mind. _"That's our last chance!" _Her focus increased, and both, Shaymin and Hotaru, felt energy running through their bodies and surrounding them. Shaymin's eyes grew wide the more power it sensed, and concentrated it within the flowers on its head, making them shimmer.

Meanwhile, in the cockpit and the passenger area Team Rocket didn't notice the happening in the storage room. Everyone had their tasks to fulfill. Hun, the silver-haired agent was the pilot of the helicopter and her partner, Attila, had the jo of the co-pilot, what displeased and annoyed him quite a bit. But more importantly, Hun was more displeased about Pierce's attendance. Her hair stood upright at the thoughts of having him around in the new hideout as well. Hun was already silent and cold-hearted person, but even Pierce's aura gave her slight creeps. "Let's go," she mumbled to her partner and hit several buttons of the control system. The sound of the turning rotor blades became louder and the helicopter took off, slowly.

Behind the cockpit were only Professor Sebastian, Pierce, and two normal grunts. A horrible silence dominated the atmosphere around them, until sighed and opened his mouth to speak. "As soon as we arrive, I will write the report and then end my mission," he said, grinning and staring out of the window next to him. "But I thought this mission would be more...exciting."

"I guess we will have the more exciting part later," Professor Sebastian chuckled in a sarcastic way.

"How do you think you will take advantage of her ability? What I have seen was less impressive than the recherches said," Pierce said, leaning his chin in the palm of his hand.

"I've already worked on something. A computer program, only developed to decrypt stimulations and physical signals. Our research is far enough to put it into practice. We've discovered that specific parts of her brain are active, when the girl is using her ability. The electrical signals her brain releases and sends to other part of the body could be copied and used in our program. If our theories are correct, we could copy her ability and use it for our plans." Professor Sebastian narrowed his eyes and looked at the papers he didn't let go off since hours. He read them over and over again, but something caught his attention. Something he couldn't explain.

Pierce let out a chuckle. "But with the ability I have seen, we won't reach our true goals."

A sharp glare met Pierce's eyes, though he only smirked. Professor Sebastian leaned back into his seat and sighed. Swiftly, he adjusted his glasses and looked back at the blue-haired agent. "With the ability we have seen, that is true. But... I'm suspecting something more powerful. The researches of the Pokémon Science Institution talked about something even I couldn't explain. Resonating. The reports mentioned the ability of mental adaptation, but further explanations and descriptions are missing."

"Mental adaptation?" Pierce asked, arching his right eyebrow.

"Yes, also called mental resonance. In other words we would call it mind control. Though, I'm not sure yet. Resonance is the term of two kinds of waves, in other word energies, adapting to each other and thus, creating and amplifying a new energy as result. If my hypothesis are correct it would also work with brain signals. Resonance and adaptation, as well as wave adaptation in form of energy, are natural and constant occurrences after all. It is one of the most important physical laws and basis of our world," the professor explained. "The imagination of a human taking control of a Pokémon's mind still seems elusive, but not necessarily impossible. Such an ability is more powerful than we can imagine," he mumbled under his breath.

Only a few meters above the ground and suddenly, a deafening explosion ripped off the heck of the helicopter, suddenly.

Everyone inside felt the strong detonation and yelped in shock. With all her might, Hun tried to land the helicopter safely, but she lost control over it and the attempt failed. The wreck of the destroyed contraption fell and crashed into the first trees that surrounded the mountain area. The impact with the ground knocked over several trees and destroyed the rest of the helicopter. Everyone inside it was in a state of shock.

The cause for the explosion was the tiny hedgehog Pokémon. The energy which got released with the Seed Flare Attack had ripped the helicopter in two parts as if it was made of paper. The explosion had also torn a hole into the wall that separated Hotaru from Shaymin.

Buried under boxes, trash, metal, and wood, Hotaru was gasping and breathing heavily. Tears ran down her face. She had felt like this before. Captured in a wreck. The accident. This didn't feel like a deja vu, it was the same. With clenched teeth, she fought her way out of the wreckage pile, even though her tied hands made it nearly impossible. Scratches and bruises covered her trembling body. Adrenaline rushed through her veins and kept her fighting. She gasped for air, but could barely breathe. The shock captured her breath. Stunned and shocked, she raised her head and found the hole in the metallic wall. "Shaymin!" Hotaru screamed. Quickly, she hopped to her feet and squashed in the other room with all her might. The sharp edges of the metal tattered her clothes and skin even more, but the girl didn't care. "Shaymin!"

She only found a pile of trash. No sign of the hedgehog Pokémon. Hotaru forced herself to calm down and tried to feel the Pokémon's presence. It was right before her, buried somewhere. Suddenly,, Hotaru dropped to her knees in exhaustion. For a short moment she couldn't feel anything. Not her body, no thoughts, no presence. Still, her will took over her. First, Hotaru needed a plan to get rid of the ropes around her wrists. As if it was luck, she found a hand-sized shard of glass of Shaymin's cage. Hotaru turned around and tried to pick it up. As she held it in her hand, she already felt blood her fingers and in her right palm. The edges were too sharp. Hotaru bit her tongue and tried to cut the ropes with the glass. She cut herself several times and the injuries hurt. But yet, she freed herself from the ropes. A look at her hands was nearly not bearable, they were bathed in warm blood. Rapidly, Hotaru bent down and shoved the wreckage away, searching for Shaymin.

"Please...be okay..." Hotaru begged. It was probably luck, that she saw a part of the green fur between the trash. Hotaru pushed the trash aside and finally, she had found Shaymin. Carefully, she picked it up. "Are you okay?" Hotaru asked, worried.

the hedgehog grunted weakly. "Yes..."

In a moment of joy, she hugged the Pokémon and nearly cried. "Thank god. I'm so happy," she sobbed. However, the fact of her current situation hit her. _"If Team Rocket captures us now, we will be dead... or worse,"_ she thought. "Espeon!" Hotaru felt the aura of the Pokémon, somewhere under another pile. For its own luck, it was safe inside its Poké Ball. "Espeon!" Hotaru exclaimed again as she found the red and white sphere. Rapidly, she grabbed it and ran. In one leap, Hotaru jumped out of the hole in the helicopter.

A fresh breeze greeted her, but then the smell of the crashed helicopter, and the crushed and reeking engine blocked her senses. It reminded Hotaru of the crash seven years ago, such a painful memory.

"What's wrong?" Shaymin asked.

Hotaru gasped. "Nothing... Let's hurry. We need to get out of here," she exclaimed and ran. The area was strange. Only a mountainous landscape, at some spots trees and undergrowth. Without any orientation Hotaru ran for her life and saw, in the corner of her eye, how the Team Rocket agents climbed out of the crashed chopper. And they also saw her. "Damn!" she exclaimed in fear.

"Hey!" Pierce yelled at her.

"Capture her," Professor Sebastian ordered.

Hun helped the scientist to stand, though she was quite exhausted herself and still weak-kneed. Even Attila couldn't find his balance. It was still a wonder that nobody got seriously injured. However, only person who was able to follow Hotaru was Pierce, and he caught up with her quickly. The blue-haired agent rushed after her, through a small, but thick conifer forest at the foot of the hills. Pierce released his Houndoom to capture Hotaru and the dog Pokémon dashed forwards, keeping up with the girl. It barked and growled loudly, only causing Hotaru to run faster.

The girl jumped over root and rocks, nearly stumbling every time. Her weakened legs could hardy carry her further, but she already noticed Houndoom coming closer. The helicopter disappeared behind pines and firs, but Team Rocket was still after her. Tightly, she cradled Shaymin in her arms, nearly squeezing the Pokémon. She could tell, more light got through the trees as they became less, therefor more undergrowth and scrubs grew in this rocky and dusty area. The sound of her breathing throbbed against Hotaru's own head. More sounds hurt in her ears, as well as her fast steps and a strong wind blowing in her face and making her eyes watery.

"Houndoo!" Suddenly, the dog-like Pokémon jumped out between the undergrowth and rocks, and appeared in front of her, cutting off her way. It barked, showed its teeth, and forced her back.

In the next second, something wrapped around Hotaru's right ankle and caused her to fall. It was something green, like a vine, and it pulled Hotaru across the ground. With the rest of her strength, Hotaru tried to grip something like a root to stop the vine from dragging her, but instead she let go of Shaymin and her Poké Ball. Hotaru struggled with all her might, kicked her feet in the air, but without any success. _Oh crap! _Hotaru thought. Her eyes widened in fear as she found the blue-haired elite agent, Pierce standing next to his giant Venusaur that dragged her back.

"Good job, Venusaur," Pierce chuckled evilly. He approached Hotaru slowly, step by step, while his expression changed. His eyes became colder and the atmosphere around his darker.

Hotaru struggled, and when she saw Pierce right next two her, her natural instinct appeared. Swiftly, she grabbed some dirt and tossed it into Pierce's face as he bent down to her. For a moment, he couldn't see with the burning pain in his eyes, but Hotaru as well couldn't escape in this time, she was too slow. The agent hissed in anger, wiped the dirt off his face with his sleeve and kicked her in her guts stomach while she remained on the ground, making her scream in pain. She shrieked, crooked, and bit her tongue. "You little rat!" Pierce snapped at her and grabbed her hair, pulling her up. It was so painful. Hotaru couldn't touch the ground with her feet, she only hung in his grasp and yelped. "Trust me, you will regret this. You will regret that you were born," he chuckled.

With tears in her eyes, Hotaru gasped for air. In a flash, she felt the ground beneath her feet again, but also a very painful slap across her face. It knocked her off her feet and broke her lip. Hotaru landed in the dirt and panted heavily. She tasted blood and felt the warm liquid running down her chin. Weakly, she opened her eyes, found Shaymin and Espeon's Poké Ball. Pierce was approaching her again, but she felt too weak to stand and keep fighting. Her jaw hurt and she couldn't move it to speak, only squeal.

"Don't think I will end this so fast," Pierce said, he stood over her and bent down, sitting on top of her and preventing her from moving.

Hotaru's breathing fluttered, her muscles cramped and she couldn't breathe. Her eyes grew wide, watching how Pierce raised his fist. Her instinct forced her to squeeze her eyes shut. "Please...no..." she stammered, crying.

As the Rocket agent wanted to punch the girl, a sphere made of natural energy stopped him. It almost hit him, but he jumped away.

"Don't you dare hurt her!" Shaymin growled. It was the one who fired the Energy Ball Attack at the man.

Quickly, Hotaru pushed herself up from the ground, sprinted to her Poké Ball, grabbed it and released her Espeon. "Go, Espeon!" she yelled, though her jaw hurted. "Use your Psybeam to clear the way!" the girl exclaimed. Her Espeon jumped and fired a colorful energy beam at the enemies. It nearly hit Venusaur, but got blocked by Houndoom's Flame Thrower. The fire and the energy waves impounded until the attacks exploded in midair. Hotaru turned around, grabbed Shaymin and ran away together with Espeon. The smoke created by the explosion gave her cover and advantage.

With no goal in mind, without orientation, but with the will to be free, Hotaru ran. She leaped over several rocks until she arrived near a river course. No trees could hide her now, she was in an open, rocky field.

"Houndoom, Flame Thrower!" Pierce commanded, yelling as he caught up with the girl again. His Pokémon spat out a huge flame that surrounded Hotaru and her Pokémon, forcing her closer to the river. She felt the heat in her face and squirmed as sparks touched her skin and her dirty clothes. It forced her back. Further and further, until she already reached the end of the ledge. Behind her was the river, a strong current carried everything down the valley. The rapids destroyed everything, things which had fallen into the river broke and shattered on rocks that stuck out of the water.

Sweat covered Hotaru's forehead. Her jaw tightened. Right in front of her was Pierce, who would hurt her without hesitation. He did everything to let her suffer. And behind her was a river with dangerous rapids. The girl gulped, her situation was hopeless, a dead end.

"Give up," Pierce exclaimed. Calmly, he put his hands into his coat pockets. A wide, sinister smile crossed his face. "If you surrender now, I will promise that I won't hurt you... at least not too much," he snickered.

Gulping, Hotaru glanced over her shoulder. _What are we going to do? What now?_

She hesitated and waited too long for Pierce's opinion. With a sigh, he gave the final order. "It was your decision, tupid girl. Houndoom, use Flame Thrower!" he commanded.

Houndoom spat out another giant flame that approached Hotaru. Espeon jumped between its Trainer and the fire, used Psychic Attack to stop it, however the attack was too strong. In a matter of seconds, Espeon turned around, dashed towards Hotaru and rammed her to save her from the fire. The result was them falling of the ledge. They dropped into the water like stones. In the middle of the fall, Hotaru had wrapped her arms tightly around Shaymin to protect it.

Only icy water surrounded Hotaru and carried her away. Over and over, she got pulled underwater and couldn't breath. With all her might she fought against the current and lost.

And suddenly, Hotaru fainted as she hit one of the rocks in the current. Darkness captured her and she thought she would drown now.


	8. Cloudy Days

**Chapter 7: Cloudy Days  
**

A silent and peaceful river course in a lonely area. Far away from the northern mountain range.

Espeon crawled out of the water, exhausted, sodden and drained. The Pokémon's legs were still weak and could barely carry it after the horrible, long ride through the rapids. "Espe!" the Pokémon exclaimed as it found its Trainer near the riverbank suddenly. Quickly, it jumped through the water to reach the unconscious girl, and to wake her up Espeon carefully touched Hotaru with its nose. No reaction, though Hotaru was breathing. Luckily, she was alive, but it was hard to believe how she and her Pokémon both survived the rapids. Hotaru's clothes were soaked, her body cold and still covered by bruises and cuts, the marks of the fight. The girl remained in the shallow water, but fortunately her head didn't. This way she was able to get fresh air. Her chest moved up and down by the rhythm of her breathing, but slowly. "Espeon!" Espeon exclaimed again, and tried to pull Hotaru out of the water by biting in her collar.

Slowly, Hotaru's eyelids moved and fluttered. Beams of the evening sun shined through her eyelids and slightly blinded her. "Huh..." she groaned. Her view was still blurred, but became clear after a while. The slight orange shade of the cloudy sky was a little unfamiliar for her after the weeks in captivity. How many days had passed since she had seen the sunlight the last time? And a fresh breeze? She remembered the fight, and the fall into the water, but then a picture of darkness remained.

_"Hotaru!"_ Espeon exclaimed. "Es! Espe!"

Weakly, Hotaru turned her head to face her Pokémon, a slight smile crossed her face. "We made it..." the girl mumbled. Cold shudders met her spine as she noticed the coldness wrapping around her body. With caution, Hotaru tried to sit. Every single muscle was sore and hurt, and the slightest move was painful. The cuts in her skin burned and her bruises sent waves of throbbing pain through the girl. But the worst pain remained in her cheek. Hotaru winced as she touched the right side of her face, her jaw ached horribly. The strong smack had left its marks. In her current position, she glanced around, studying her surroundings and she gasped as she found a green fur ball near the riverbank. "Shaymin!" Hotaru called out, hopped to her feet, but fell again. Her legs were still too weak to carry her. With all her might, Hotaru struggled to straighten, and she lurched to Shaymin, nearly stumbling. "Shaymin! Are you all right?" the girl asked as she picked the hedgehog up.

Shaymin's body was cold and it was, as well as Hotaru, drenched. However, it moved and woke up after a while.

"Shaymin!" Hotaru nearly cried. "You're alive!" In a sudden moment, her knees softened and she dropped to the stony ground, scraping up her knees.

"More or less..." the hedgehog Pokémon mumbled and suddenly sneezed.

Hotaru let out a heavy sigh. She was alive, her Pokémon alright, and they finally were free. Slowly, Hotaru's expression changed, her eyes softened and became watery, her lips trembled, and thick tears dropped to the ground, some fell on Shamyin's fur.

"Hotaru?" Shaymin asked, gazing at the girl.

She was simply too happy and relieved to hold her tears back. With the back of her hands, she wiped away the watery pearly, which rolled down her cheeks. "We... we've finally made it... I'm so glad," she stammered under the sobs. Suddenly, her will broke and she cried loudly with tears streaming down her face. It was like waking up from a horrible nightmare. Hotaru's crying was loud enough to send echoes through the abandoned area. The fine skin under her eyes became red immediately, and a trace of her dried tears marked her cheeks. It was more than just difficult for her to grow quiet. In an attempt to comfort her, Espeon touched her with its head, and Shaymin pressed its body closer to her.

A cold feeling on the tip of her nose made Hotaru look up. Her tears got mixed up with water drops falling from the sky. Within minutes, grey clouds covered the orange evening sky and tossed a giant shadow across the area, hiding the sun behind the rain clouds. Hotaru looked up, her gaze locked on the grey clouds, knowing that she had to leave the place now. "Let's go... otherwise we will-" A loud sneeze interrupted her. In her attention to find a dry and warm place to avoid catching a cold, the fate got ahead of her plans.

With patience the girl forced herself back to her feet and carried Shaymin in her arms, trying to keep its body warm.

More drops hit the soil, and the leaves of the trees, until the drizzle became a shower. "Espeon! Espe!" the purple cat-like Pokémon exclaimed. _"Where are we going?" _it asked.

Hotaru blinked, she watched the current of the river and saw the direction the water was heading to. With her index-finger, she pointed at it and showed her Pokémon and her plans. "The current is coming from the north. Somewhere in that direction is the hideout. That means we have to follow the current to get further away from Team Rocket. The further away the better," she explained, heading to the forest in front of her. The river, once with a dangerous rapid, branched out into several smaller streams and creeks, all leading through the dark forest. Strong chills greeted Hotaru's skin and gave her goosebumps, her hairs stood upright as she entered the dangerous place.

It got darker from minute to minute. The nightfall captured the wooded hills and valleys.

Espeon followed Hotaru silently, and shook its body to get rid of the water in its fur. Its beautiful, purple fur was sodden, as well as Hotaru and her clothes. Together, they walked through the forest, without goal and direction. Hotaru hopped to find a cave, or maybe even a road that would show her the way to a town, a village, or a place where she could rest a little. Her eyes were fixed on the ground, and the puddles and mud holes in front of her, covering her way.

Her gaze followed the muddy path until Hotaru found some rocky hills, and to her surprise a cave. For the first time since weeks, the luck was on her side. But reconsidering the situation, the luck had left her quite a while ago. Though she was able to escape Team Rocket's clutches, the situation didn't really change. Now, she remained in the rain, without any orientation, desperate and alone. No, not alone. At least she had Espeon and Shaymin around her, and that was reason enough for her to keep going. "We will wait here until the rain stops," Hotaru muttered and approached the cave. It was actually only a rocky ledge, created by rocky slides, but it appeared safe. Safe enough for Hotaru. She and her Pokémon walked into the tiny cave and sat down on the ground. For once it was a dry place.

Mentally, Espeon asked Hotaru. _"Can't you light a fire?"_

"No. I won't find any dry branches or wood. It wouldn't work," Hotaru said. Her eyelids were half closed. The exhaustion filled her limbs and was as heavy as lead. Her muscles ached and she lost the feeling of her body. Over and over, she nearly let Shaymin fall, but again Hotaru clung to it. "Shaymin, what are you going to do now?" Hotaru asked, curiously, to keep herself awake.

"I don't know," Shaymin replied.

"Don't you have a home? A family?" Hotaru asked.

Slightly, Shaymin shook its head. It was also exhausted and drained, just like the blonde-haired Trainer girl. "No..."

A weak smle appeared on Hotaru's lips as she heard the Pokémon. "I guess... we have something in common there." The girl closed her eyes and bit back tears. She felt for Shaymin and understood its despair. "Our fates are the same, actually," Hotaru mumbled.

"What about you?" It was Shaymin's turn to ask. "Are you planning on going somewhere?" the Pokèmon questioned.

"Yes, back to Chrono Island...perhaps..."

"Is that your home?" Shaymin looked up, curiosity shimmered in its eyes.

For a minute, Hotaru remained quiet and only narrowed her eyes. "Not really," she mumbled.

"Well," Shaymin started, shyly. "There is this place... I need to find," it said, capturing Hotaru's attention. "A flower garden. My instinct told me about it since I was born. I need to find the garden. It is important. Really, really, really important!" the Pokémon told the girl. "But I don't know where it is, and I am scared. I'm scared that the evil people will find me again."

"I know how you feel..." Hotaru said, leaning her head back on the stony wall. It was anything but comfortable, but better than being strapped to a metallic table in a laboratory. "What if you come with me for a while? Maybe, we can find that flower garden together? And I could try to protect you..." Suddenly, the girl let out a fake chuckle. "Though I am not even able to protect myself..." She smiled, however it was a fake one. "We're in the same situation, so I guess we have no other choice."

Shaymin nodded weakly, before it closed its eyes and drifted into a deep sleep. Hotaru's smile remained and she caressed Shaymin's soft fur gently. She felt the Pokémon relaxing in her lap and how pretty pink flowers grew out of the yellow seeds in its fur.

Slowly, sleep came over Hotaru as well and she fell asleep, shortly after Shaymin and Espeon.

* * *

Hotaru walked along the muddy path. She couldn't believe that she had actually found some sleep during the rainy night. However, her neck was stiff, her backbone rigid as a board, and her muscles cramped. The rain had stopped in the morning, but left a muddy and dirty way. Water drops still fell from leaves and reflected the first sun beams of the brisk morning. The young Trainer shuddered in a cold breeze, her clothes were not really dry, and so the tiniest wind made her shiver.

But the worst was her empty stomach, it rumbled and growled, nearly echoing in the forest. As well as Shaymin's and Espeon's stomachs.

"I'm hungry," complained Shaymin. The Pokémon sat on Hotaru's head.

"Me too. I hope we will find a town soon, I need a break and I need food," Hotaru replied while she let out a heavy sigh, though the sigh wasn't meant for her rumbling stomach. _I don't even have money... But perhaps I can find help in a Pokémon Center, _ Hotaru thought. _If we can find one soon...  
_Then, suddenly, pictures of her captivity came into her mind. Somehow, the walking through the nature felt strange, since she wasn't even allowed to leave her tiny room, her prison, for weeks. It hurt. Hotaru still had the feeling that someone dragged her to a dark place, against her will. She felt the tension building up inside her body and the psychological pressure. Fore some reason, it all felt like a dream, like a nightmare she had just woken up from, but she knew it was the icy reality.

As it sensed Hotaru's tension, Espeon pressed its own head against the girl's right leg and kept her moving. _"Everything is okay now,"_ Espeon told her.

A loud and heavy sigh escaped Hotaru's lips. _"Yeah, but for how long? I doubt that Team Rocket will simply forget us." _

"Hey, can you hear this?" Shaymin asked suddenly.

Hotaru stopped walking for a minuted and closed her eyes. There was nothing special around her. Only the sound of a fresh wind stroking the leaves of the forest and the sound of the sea. Sea? Immediately, Hotaru's eyes snapped open. Did she really hear waves? The surge? It was true. In one leap, Hotaru started running up the hill with Shaymin on her shoulder. Her tiny jumps nearly caused it to fall off. The girl ran faster and forgot the pain throbbing in her legs, but as she stopped on top of the hill, she felt it again.

For once, a smile, an honest smile appeared on her lips.

In front of her, there was a town near the sea. Thick clouds threw shades on parts of the town, but still the colors of the roofs of the houses, gardens shined and blossomed. Single sunbeams came through the clouds and simply brightened those wonderful colors. A fresh sea breeze carried a lovely scent to Hotaru, tickled her nose and let her hair dance. What a familiar feeling. Inhaling deeply, Hotaru sensed some happiness finding her again and suppressing her worries. Shortly, after realizing it Hotaru dashed down the path that led towards the colorful town. Even Espeon found it difficult to keep up, but it was still glad, it felt its Trainer's worries fading.

In her rush, she ran past a wooden sign that said 'Welcome to Cherrygrove City'. The name of the town wasn't important, Hotaru's first and most important goal was to find a Pokémon Center. Perhaps, she thought, she would find help there. The first houses appeared on her way and Hotaru ran through the residential area, heading towards the city center.

Suddenly, Hotaru stopped and nearly stumbled as an elder woman with a shopping basket walked around the street corner. Hotaru almost crashed into her, but she prevented the worst case, instead she tripped and landed on the street. "Ow, ow, ow..." the girl groaned and straightened. She pushed some dust off her skirt, however it was only cover to rub her hurting butt. In her fall she had landed on her rump and a slight pain stroke her like lightening. "I'm very sorry," Hotaru apologized and bowed slightly.

"Are you hurt?" the woman asked. Seemingly, she wasn't angry at the girl, though Hotaru had nearly run her down.

"No, I'm fine. I'm sorry, but I was in a hurry." For a moment, Hotaru hesitated to ask, but then she spoke. "Excuse me, but could you tell me where the Pokémon Center is?" the girl asked.

"Of course, it down the street and then the fourth street to the right, that is where the Pokémon Center is, but-" the woman explained. Before she could even finish her sentences Hotaru rushed past her, without thanking her, but the old woman still didn't tell her everything. It was also the moment she realized how Hotaru looked. Somehow, exhausted and messy. "The Center is closed..." the woman mumbled. Hotaru couldn't hear her anymore, she was too far away already Wondering and confused, the woman headed back to her home.

Luckily, Hotaru avoided to crash into several other people walking around, and all people gazed at her confused. She dashed along the next street and already found a familiar, red roof. It was the Pokémon Center building. In one leap, Hotaru jumped up the stony stairs to the center. Usually, she remembered, the doors would open automatially as soon as someone approached them, but tis time it was different. Still running, Hotaru noticed the doors remaining closed, and only inches before the sliding doors she stopped abruptly. Her nose almost touched the glass and the sign that was attached on the door.

'Closed for health reasons'

Hotaru's jaw dropped to the ground, she felt dizzy out of the sudden and her eyelid started twitching. "Seriously?" the girl mumbled and lowered her head._ And I couldn't wait to eat something... my dream just got destroyed,_ she thought with tears in her eyes and bit her lower lip. _Crap!_ she cursed._ Okay, calm down, Hotaru. There are only a few things you need. First, you need money, then food, and without money you can't buy anything. And then... I need to find a way to get back home..._ This time she silently went away from the Pokémon Center. Her mind was busy with the ideas and thoughts flying around. Where should have she gone next? How would she get help? This situation was so depressing and hopeless.

"Espeo, Espe!" Espeon exclaimed and bit in Hotaru's left knee sock. _"__What about calling your school? The principal?" _

"I don't have a cellphone and I don't have the money to use a public phone. Plus, I don't know the telephone number of my school," Hotaru said, rather ashed.

_"What!? You've called your school thousands of times to call in sick, even though you just wanted to skip class! And now you're telling me that you have never memorized the phone number! Are you serious?" _Espeon complained and jumped up and down. It was about to ram Hotaru with its head, but Espeon controlled its anger. But it was true, how should Hotaru find a phone now?

Ashamed of herself, Hotaru lowered her head, sighed, and scratched her cheek with her right index-finger. It was somehow embarrassing, especially because Espeon told the truth. "But seriously...what should I tell them? Excuse me, this is Hotaru Natsukawa. I got kidnapped by a criminal organization. Could you please pick me up? I'm here, somewhere in the middle of nowhere called Johto Region," Hotaru argued with her Pokémon. Her sarcasm showed up again, like so many times before. It all pointed to a rough fight between Hotaru and Espeon. Only Shaymin sat quietly on the girl's shoulder and listened. Saymin couldn't say a single word.

The glaring contest between Trainer and Pokémon ended soon, when Hotaru's stomach started rumbling.

Hotaru's eyes grew wide and her face red in embarrassment. The shame also grew, she felt so useless. "Okay then... let's go somewhere else..." she mumbled, dejected.

"And where?" asked Shaymin.

The girl's face fell, just like her expression "I don't know..." she muttered.. One moment of happiness vanished into nothing. With her hands in her skirt pockets, Hotaru walked around, not knowing where her goal was. Perhaps it was her habit to follow the salty sea breeze, leading to the ocean. The other scent, the scent of the flowers growing in the town like a carpet was still strong, but not dominant. Hotaru's instinct guided her closer to the port, through busy streets and alleys. There seemed to be a big market in Cherrygrove City. Though, Hotaru ignored it, uninterested.

The way to the port wasn't as far as Hotaru had imagined, though she had only followed her instinct and the sound of the waves. Hotaru walked through the port area and found some single ships and ferries. Probably packed with tourists from other regions.

"Hey! You!" A loud, male voice screamed, making Hotaru jump.

Slowly and gulping, Hotaru turned around and saw dockworker coming right towards her. He was quite muscular and his grim face gave Hotaru chills. She felt like a dwarf compared to him. Her neck nearly got stiff as she looked up to face the man. "Ye...yes...?" stuttered Hotaru.

The man bent down a little, though he couldn't reach the same level like Hotaru with his eyes. "You know, this area is prohibited to access for normal people!" he yelled.

Hotaru gulped once more and shivered. In surprise, she stepped back. That man was anything but nice. "Ehm...sorry... I didn't know..." She was about to turn around and leave, but several questions held her back. Shyly and with caution, she turned to face the dockworker again. "One question, is there a ship heading to the Sevii Archipelago?" Hotaru asked. It was a possibility for her to get back.

Suddenly, the dockworker closed his eyes and rubbed his chin. Perhaps, he wasn't as mean as Hotaru thought. He was thinking about her question. "Let me see... I don't know the schedule for the ferries. How about you go... and get lost!" Out of the sudden, he yelled at Hotaru like he did before.

_Get lost?_ Hotaru couldn't believe her ears. Did he just tell her to get lost? How rude! "E-excuse me?" the girl asked in disbelief.

"Are you deaf? I said get lost!" the dockworker yelled.

Hotaru jumped at the scream and span around to run. Espeon dashed after her and together, they ran away from the docks. It was still unbelievable that she was able to run. The shock still remained in her thoughts, and Hotaru ran until she found herself in an unfamiliar location. It was still a part of the port, but without dockworkers or other people.  
Still panting heavily, Hotaru dropped to her knees. She gasped for air and looked up to the sky. The thick, grey clouds resembled her mood and her situation. Inside her, her feelings got all mixed up and created a blend of anger, rage, and frustration. Since her disappearance nothing good had happened to her. Unconsciously, Hotaru balled her hands to fists, but the tension quickly ceased. "Idiot..." silently, Hotaru muttered, thinking about that dockworker. _I just asked for help. How can he be so cruel! _she thought. In the next moment, her stomach rumbled louder than a thunder storm. Hotaru's facce grew bright red and quickly she forgot her anger. "I'm hungry..." Hotaru pouted.

Shaymin crawled up on her head and gazed down. "Me too..."

Silently, Espeon touched Hotaru's leg with is nose gently. _"What about the police? Ask them for help." _

Hotaru didn't answer. She stared at the scraped palms of her hands, then back to the sky. "Looks like it is going to rain again..." the girl murmured without any emotions in her voice. Her face was blank, her voice monotone, and her eyes cold. The tiny moves of her lips and how she chewed on her bottom lip showed her true feelings._ Even if we will find a police station, I doubt they will believe me... It is worth a try, but I am not certain about it...  
_

Together, Hotaru, Shaymin, and Espeon left the port, heading back to the city. She saw people running and walking around, but most of them hurried to get home.

Even the market place looked abandoned, compared with a few minutes ago. A few stands had already disappeared and the people left, only a few remained with their sellers trying to offer the rest. Most of them had no luck. The first raindrops fell and made the people run like scared rabbits.

Hotaru gulped nervously, but she picked up Shaymin from her shoulder and let it down gently. "You guys wait here," she said to Espeon and her hedgehog companion. Her Pokémon watched her how she ran around and asked strangers for help. Most people ignored and walked past her, though she already seemed desperate. She had noticed it earlier, with her appearance she scared them and chased them away. It wasn't her behavior, but her look. Several times, she had looked down at herself, eyeing her dirty and filthy clothes, unkempt hair, and the dirt in her face. "Excuse me... e-excuse..." Hotaru stuttered, hopping around, talking to everyone she saw, but it was always the same. Everyone seemed to be bothered by her appearances and nearly fled.  
Panting and sighing, Hotaru lowered her head. _Is that normal? I just wanted to ask for the way... _Again, she found an old couple near a fruit and vegetables stand watching her. "Excuse me, I- I need your..." Hotaru walked to them, but they turned around and left the market place. Like all the other passersby. "Seriously..." the girl murmured, standing in the slight rain. She noticed the temperature drop and shivered.

"What are you doing there?" a male voice yelled.

The girl flinched and turned her head to the owner of the fruit stand. He was built like an Ursaring and the look on his face was even scarier than the one the dockworker had. "Me?" Hotaru asked, pointing at herself as the man approached her angrily.

"Of course you! You're chasing all of my costumers away, you tramp!" the man yelled.

Hotaru's jaw nearly dropped to the ground. "What? I was just asking for..."

The man interrupted her immediately. "I don't need an urchin running around and chasing my costumers away. Look for other people you can bug. And now go way!" he hissed at the girl.

This time it had broken Hotaru's self-control. Her blonde hair stood upright and anger gleamed in her eyes. With gritted teeth she hissed back. "I'm not an urchin or tramp! I only asked for the way! No reason to yell at me!" Hotaru snapped. Her hands became tight fists and her muscles built up an enormous tension.

"If you don't leave now, I will make you leave, tramp!" the man yelled and planted himself in front of the young Trainer.

Despite his frightening behavior and expression, Hotaru's didn't flinch this time. "Don't call me that! I'm not a tramp!" Hotaru snapped and bellowed at the top of her lungs. A short glance past the man let Hotaru gasp. The girl's face became pale like chalk as she realized it. She saw Shaymin how it had managed to climb on one of the tables, and it ate some apples and berries. Or rather, a heap of apples and a bucket full of different berries, assuming from the remains of the fruits, all while Espeon was watching the happening. "Shaymin!" she stuttered.

Immediately, the stand owner turned around and was horrified by the view. His fruits, all gone! All eaten by a tiny hedgehog. "What! What are doing!" the man yelled and nearly cried at the sight. A tiny burp was Shaymin's answer. "You... you thief!" he yelled.

Hotaru jumped and wrapped her arms around Shaymin to stop it from its craze. "Shaymin, why did you..." Hotaru panted. Suddenly, she yelped, seeing a zombie-like face in front of her. The stand owner was more than just angry and mad.

"Thief! First you chase off my costumers and now you're stealing my products!" the man screamed, nearly chasing off the rest of the people around the market. "You won't get away with this!"

Things turned out in a horrible way, and it was about to get worse. "I'm... I'm... sorry," Hotaru stammered and stepped back, not seeing her surroundings. She ran into the table behind her and accidentally upset it. Apples, Oran, Pecha, and Chesto Berries dropped to the ground and Hotaru fell on them, squishing the berries. It was pure bad luck. In her shock, Hotaru forced herself to her feet and pushed off the fruit flesh of her skirt. The once wine red color had changed to a dirty purple, and it felt horrible. There was nothing more embarrassing and Hotaru was ashamed of her own clumsiness. The whole stand was demolished and the fruits squished. She wanted, wished, and prayed to vanish into air. In a matter of fear, Hotaru grabbed Shaymin again and made a leap to run.

"Wait, you thief!" the seller bellowed and grabbed Hotaru's wrist to stop her from fleeing.

In a natural and spontaneous reaction, Hotaru bit in his right hand. The pain caused him to let go of her. The best chance for the girl to run away. Again, Hotaru did something she never had wanted to, she grabbed two of the undamaged apples and finally ran away. As fast as possible and as fast as her legs would carry her. The girl ran and dashed down several streets to bring some distance between her and the market place she had demolished.  
The corner of the next street meant stop for the young Trainer. She was out of breath and couldn't run anymore. Behind a huge stony wall was the best place to hide or a while.

Or perhaps not.

The slight rain turned into a violent rain and hit Hotaru like a mass of tiny pearls. Emotionless and with a blank expression, she looked up to the clouds, though she could barely see them. The raindrops hit her face and eyes and made her close them. Quickly she wiped away the raindrops from her face, but the truth was, she was trying to wipe away her tears, which were nearly not visible. Without saying a word and silent as a mouse, Hotaru went away. Could it come worse now? On her search for help, she created a huge chaos, but not on purpose. Shyly, Hotaru glanced at the apples she held in her trembling hands. She hadn't wanted to steal them, but her hunger took over her, despite this was nothing. It was the first time Hotaru had missed Chrono Town that much. She had never felt comfortable in that town, but now she craved her home. Her warm apartment and the fried rice she bought once or twice a week, just because she was too lazy to cook. All of it seemed like distant memories.

"I'm not a tramp..." Hotaru mumbled under her breath.

_"Of course you're not! Don't listen what people say! They have no idea," _Espeon told her. "Espee!"

The desperate look in her eyes didn't change. "Yeah... you're right," she replied with a monotone voice. Hotaru remained standing in the rain, but slowly moved to search for a dry place. The Pokémon Center was out of question, and now asking the police for help, as well. The girl felt horrible. She had stolen something and it made her guts twist. How could she possibly go to the police? She had turned into a little thief and had destroyed a part of the market. Perhaps the people were telling the truth after all, she looked like a tramp, but they didn't know the story behind her it.

With slow steps Hotaru walked towards a roofed bus stop near the place she had remained. She was the only person around. Who else would go out during this rain? But at least the canopy spent some protection against the rain.

Hotaru sat down on the cold ground and sat on her knees. When she gazed at the stolen fruits, somehow she didn't feel hungry anymore, only worse. The result was simple. Hotaru gave Shaymin and Espeon the fruits, she didn't want a single bite. Quickly, Shaymin jumped at the apple and devoured it, even without chewing. The blonde-haired Trainer wondered about its strange behavior and colossal hunger. Only Espeon didn't eat. The Pokémon was worried about its Trainer and shoved the apple back to Hotaru with its nose.

_"Let's share it then," _Espeon suggested.

The girl nodded with a smile. She took the red fruit while Espeon cut it into two perfect halves with Confusion Attack. Hotaru placed one of the apple part in front of Espeon, and immediately, it started eating. The girl also took a tiny bite, but it already stuck in her through. Her stomach twisted and jumped up and down at the thoughts she had. A heavy tension laid in the air. Slowly, Hotaru pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs.

Suddenly, Hotaru felt something caressing her left arm. "Don't worry, I'm okay, Espeon," she said, thinking that Espeon was comforting her. A second passed until Hotaru noticed Espeon sitting on her right side. It couldn't even touch her left arm. What did touch Hotaru then? The girl arched her eyebrows and turned her head and found a creature stroking her with a long, green leaf. It was a tiny, green Pokémon, with sprout-like collar around its neck and a green long leaf on its head.

The Pokémon smiled at Hotaru. "Chikorita!"


	9. Wind Of New Beginnings

**Chapter 8: Wind Of New Beginnings  
**

"Chiko, chikorita, rita!" the Pokémon exclaimed. Shyly, it followed the scent of the apple piece Hotaru held and it led the Pokémon to the girl.

The girl wondered about the Pokémon's sudden appearance, she hadn't even noticed it how it approached her, but that Chikorita seemed to be friendly and confiding. Considering those facts it could never be a wild Pokémon, however, what was the Pokémon doing in this lonely place without its Trainer? Hotaru smiled and bent down to the Pokémon. She held the apple piece out to Chikorita. The Pokémon hesitated, but approached the girl slowly. "Here. Do you want this? It's for you," Hotaru whispered. Quietly, she watched the Grass-type Pokémon, and finally, Chikorita took the apple piece by wrapping its long vines around it. Happily, Chikorita devoured the apple and grinned. "Do you like it? Sorry, but I don't have more of it," Hotaru told the Pokémon.

"Cyndaa!" another, high-pitched voice called out.

Hotaru looked up and saw a blueish hedgehog-like Pokémon wandering around the corner. As the Pokémon saw Chikorita, it ran over to its friend and hid behind the Grass-type Pokémon shyly.

Hotaru blinked and crooked her head. "What's wrong" she asked. Rather than replying, Cyndaquil hissed. Carefully and with caution, Hotaru held out her hands and slowly approached Cyndaquil and Chikorita to pet them. With a squeak, Cyndaquil jumped behind Chikorita again. The green Pokémon also watched them and wasn't sure how to react, but it let Hotaru stroke its head. Chikorita felt like it could trust her, so it kept eating. But not Cyndaquil, it hadn't even noticed the fruit, instead it kept staring at Hotaru, still hiding behind Chikorita.

"There you go. You're cute, do you know that?" Hotaru asked and grinned, forgetting her problems for a moment.

"Chiko, chiko!" the Pokémon replied and ate the last bite. _"Of course I know. Thank you."_

_"What...?"_ Cyndaquil seemed to blush. Slowly, it approached Hotaru, but with enormous suspicion. First, Cyndaquil sniffed at her hand to inhale her scent, it did the same with Shaymin and Espeon before it returned to Hotaru. "Cynda," the Pokémon murmured. Again, Hotaru held her hand out and this time Cyndaquil accepted being caressed by her. Her fingers moved through its soft fur and Cyndaquil giggled shyly.

Hotaru chuckled silently. "See? I won't do anything to you," the girl responded. Quickly, she pushed some dust of her skirt and knelt in front of the Pokémon again. Also Espeon and Shaymin became curious and observed the strange Pokémon from a save spot, behind Hotaru's back. Cyndaquil's first examination was strange, but now it also seemed to trust the girl.

The Grass-type Pokémon gazed at the girl with confusion in its eyes. "Chiko?" it murmured. _"You can understand me? Usually people don't understand what I say," _it said in slight disbelief.

Nodding, Hotaru replied with a small and shy smirk on her lips. "Yes. Both of you," she said. "Now tell me, are you alone here? Or did you get lost?" the girl asked, picking up Chikorita from the ground. She was surprised how calm Chikorita stayed. For fun, Chikorita brushed Hotaru's cheeks with the leaf on its head. Chuckling, Hotaru tried to duck, it tickled her a lot and made her snicker. "Well, how come you're alone?" Hotaru asked and put the Pokémon down again.

_"Me and my friend wanted to check out the area, but I kinda..." _Chikorita sighed. _"I think we got lost..." _

Arching an eyebrow, Hotaru bowed her head to the left and glanced at the Pokémon while she blinked confused. "How come?" she asked.

"Chi, chi, ko," the Pokémon mumbled and sat down sadly. _"Well... Actually my owner intents to give me and my friends away, but we don't want to leave. What if my new Trainers is going to be a horrible person? Well, and we went on a trip today to the Pokémon Center, and it was closed. So... we ran away," _Chikorita explained. Its leaf hung down lifelessly and resembled the Pokémon's mood.

"Quil..." Cyndaquil's head hung.

Hotaru bit her lip. "Oh... okay, I can't help you in that case... but perhaps it will be better, if you return to your Trainer," the girl suggested. "I also think that he or she is quite worried about you," Hotaru said, kind of having that sad feeling again. Somehow, nobody cared for her disappearance, and she didn't even run away, however, Hotaru tried to suppress it. She also felt bad for Chikorita and Cyndaquil, there were worried about their own future, understandably. "Do you want me to help you to look for your Trainer? It's at least one thing I can help you with," the girl said to the Pokémon. With her hand, she gently caressed Chikorita's leaf and sensed how it wrapped around her arm all from alone. The Pokémon also seemed to enjoy it. This time however, Cyndaquil hopped to Hotaru from all alone and pressed its nose against her leg.

"...rita!"

Suddenly, Hotaru looked up and straightened.

Someone yelled, and the voice wasn't even far away. "Cyndaquil! Chikorita!"

"Did you hear that?" Hotaru asked and earned a nod from the Pokémon around her.

"Chi, chiko!" Chikorit suddenly exclaimed with a smile and ran away. In a moment of confusion, Hotaru blinked, looked down at Cyndaquil who was still by her side. She picked the hedgehog up and ran after the Grass-type Pokémon. As she came around a corner she saw Chikorita jumping into the arms of a strange man who wore a lab coat and glasses. The first impression made Hotaru step back immediately. Impatiently, Chikorita bit into the man's white coat and pulled it. "Ritaa!" the Pokémon chirped. _"What's wrong? Don't worry, he is nice. That weird guy is our current Trainer,"_ Chikorita told the girl.

_"Chikorita is right, he is nice" _ Cyndaquil said.

Gulping, Hotaru stepped back quickly and rather hid behind Espeon this time, though even the pink cat-like Pokémon remained calm. It was the first sign for Hotaru that she didn't have to worry. With a mix of curiosity, but shyness, the blonde-haired girl let got of Cyndaquil, turned around to leave, but suddenly a voice stopped her. "Hey, wait," that man exclaimed, and apparently, Hotaru stopped and turned around. "Wait, I have to thank you. You found Chikorita, didn't you? And Cyndaquil, too!" the man rushed after Hotaru, though he scared her a little. Despite his scientist coat, his hair was quite a mess. And was that a whole in the fabric of the coat? How suspicious. Or perhaps a Pokémon had bitten man because he had accidentally stepped on its tail or something. Probably bad karma.

With a forced and heavy smiled on her lips, Hotaru tried to speak. "Well... Chikorita and Cyndaquil rather found me. So, there is no reason to thank me," the girl replied and scratched her cheek a little. She felt strange. It was the first time since weeks that a person talked to her in a polite and friendly way. On top of that, she felt ashamed, standing in front of a person, covered with dirt, bruises, and scratches. Hotaru felt the man's gaze meeting her, she also felt him seeing the wounds near her temples, and as result she quickly covered them with her bangs. Even the slightest touch still burned.

"Did something happen to you?" the man asked, trying to keep Chikorita in his arms since it wanted to jump around again.

It was a brief moment for the girl to think of an excuse or lie. "I...tripped...and fell..." Hotaru mumbled and turned her head away, but the look in her eyes told the opposite. "I'm sorry, if I'm wasting your time. I need to go now," Hotaru said and bowed slightly before prepared herself to leave. Quickly, she waved with her hand to say good-bye to Chikorita. She even forgot Cyndaquil.

"Wait, wait, wait!" The man nearly stumbled in his rush. "What's your name?"

"Hotaru." It was a moment of hesitation, but something deep inside her told Hotaru that she could trust him.

"Well, let me introduce myself. My name is Elm, I'm Pokémon Professor."

The girl nodded in an uncertain way. "Yes, nice to meet you..." How difficult it was to reply. _What kind of weirdo is he? As if this would interest me... I have other problems to deal with at the moment,_ the girl thought. _Maybe I should just turn around and run away as fast as I can. He kinda scares me..._ Somehow her skin tingled, but suddenly a loud growl that came from her belly made her eyes go wide. Her face grew red immediately and her cheeks burned in embarrassment. "Sorry," Hotaru stuttered as she wrapped her arms around her belly. She already expected some stupid statement about her hungry appearance. But somehow, nothing like that happened. How surprising. For a moment she could have sworn that she felt and saw Cyndquil hugging her lag.

The professor tapped his index-finger on his cheeks shortly after he crossed his arms halfway. "If you're hungry, let me invite you, only for a snack. It is at least something I can do after you found the Pokémon."

Hotaru bit her lip and sensed her rumbling stomach again. That man seemed nice, but he was still a stranger. Could she really trust him? After all what had happened, Hotaru didn't trust anyone, especially somebody in a lab coat. What was she supposed to do? He was a stranger, and Hotaru had learned to never trust strangers.

* * *

_So much about 'never trust strangers', _Hotaru thought and pouted, more ashamed of herself.  
Why? Because the moment she thought this, she sat in Professor Elm's jeep, together with him on the way to his home. They drove to the next town, not far away from Cherrygrove City. New Bark Town, a town near the sea and mountains. The young Trainer imagined the place and smelled the salty air. Though there was still a forest surrounding the lonely street, the fresh air from the sea wasn't too far away. After a few minutes the forest thinned out and Hotaru saw the afternoon sun getting reflected in the waves of the ocean. Her eyes widened and her mouth formed a big smile. "Woah! How beautiful! I didn't know that Johto had such amazing places!" she exclaimed. Her hair fluttered in the fresh wind. As well as Chikorita's leaf, the Pokémon sat on Hotaru's lap and enjoyed the ride with the jeep, right next to Cyndaquil, all while she felt Shaymin's weight resting on her left shoulder. She was lucky that Espeon remained quietly on the back seat.

It was still different from Chrono Island. The wind here was colder and smelled different, it smelled like the mountains on the other side. Chrono Island instead had warm winds surrounding it and smelled saltier, no wonder since it was an island in the middle of the ocean.

"So, you're not from the Johto Region?" Professor Elm asked.

"No. I come from the Sevii Archipelago, from Chrono Island," Hotaru told him, not taking her eyes off the beautiful view of the sea.

Again, the questioning began, but Hotaru only focused on the shimmering sea under the sun. "Are you here on holidays then?"

And again, there came a simple answer. "No..."

The professor wondered as little about her behaviour, but already suspected that something had happened to the girl. The wounds near her temples were too suspicious, even just after a single glance. It wasn't a normal injury and the lie about the fall was too obvious, but Elm didn't try to get the truth out of her. Seemingly, Hotaru didn't want to talk about the events that had happened.

Their way led further on the asphalted, but dusty road, along fields and meadows, to a town, hidden in a small bay. The town was so plain, only a spot in the landscape, but it looked peaceful. Single windmills drew out of the town, like sunflowers in a field and the town itself was surrounded by the sea, at the other hand by hills and meadows. Slightly, Hotaru leaned out of the jeep to feel the wind in her face. It was all so silent, so quiet, and calm, yet simple. "Beautiful..." mumbled the girl under her breath. Again, she sensed Cyndaquil clinging to her blouse. How cute.  
Slowly, she felt how the jeep steered to the left side, and followed a turning that led to the hills instead to the town.

"I must say, I really thought that I would never find Chikorita and Cyndaquil, since I only found one of the three runaways after hours of searching. We will drive to my laboratory. It is not far away," Professor Elm explained.

Suddenly, Hotaru felt very sick. "La...la... laboratory?" she stuttered. As the professor threw a confused gaze at her, Hotaru squeaked and waved with her hands hastily. "Eh...nothing... I was talking to myself!" she tried to divert in her very own way, even though it was quite amusing and hilarious, seeing her so nervous, but also strange. A quick shared gaze with Shaymin and Hotaru felt even worse. _Oh god, I knew that was a bad decision,_ Hotaru thought and gulped.

_"No need to worry, Hotaru__,"_ Espeon told her mentally to comfort its Trainer. The atmosphere surrounding them was relaxed and calm, so Espeon sensed nothing suspicious.

"Look there!" Shaymin suddenly exclaimed, seeing a building between some hills, before the town.

Hotaru held her breath. Did Shaymin just talk in front of that professor? Could it even come worse now? Yes, it could. Professor Elm nodded. "Yes, that is my labo... who said that?" the man span his head around. It was definitely not Hotaru's voice and the only one who smiled at him was Shaymin. He heard the hedgehog giggle and let go of the steering wheel in shock and surprise. He nearly drove against a nearby tree, which stood there all alone. What great effort to hit the only tree in the way, or close enough to the road, but luckily, Professor Elm grabbed the steering wheel before it was too late. "Did you just talk!?" he shouted. The girl's heart had almost stopped beating. Unconsciously, she dug her fingers into the seat. Her breathing was flat and barely audible. Even Espeon felt its hairs standing upright and nearly fell of the seat. And Cyndaquil and Chikorita clung to Hotaru's lap while Shaymin clung to her shoulder.. What a shock. "I...I'm sorry, but did your Pokémon talk? Or was it my imagination?" the professor asked again.

Not finding the words, Hotaru rather stuttered. "Ehm...perhaps it was the sound of the... the wind...?"

What a bad excuse.

"What are you talking about, Hotaru?" Shaymin asked and touched her cheek with its tiny, cold nose.

Hotaru couldn't find any more explanations. She slid further down her seat in hope to disappear. It was the perfect moment for a giant face-palm. "It is already too late to say that this was your imagination, right?" Hotaru asked Professor Elm. "I know it sounds strange, but Shaymin actually talks," Hotaru mumbled while touching her forehead and shaking her head in embarrassment. "Please, don't ask, it is a very long story."

Professor Elm smiled, though he was still surprised. "Well, I hope I am not too curious, but I would really like to hear it," he suddenly chuckled. Hotaru's gaze wandered up to the man, even Shaymin's. Such kindness and honesty in his words, it already felt strange for the girl.

Their way ended up on a hill, hidden between meadows, single trees, and other hills, and there was only one building. A little bigger than a normal house. Down in the valley Hotaru found the town which she had seen before, right next to the seaside. However, even from this distance, she felt the salty breeze of the sea. Such freedom. Hotaru jumped out of the car and turned to the direction of the ocean.

"Please." Professor Elm opened the front door to the house and gestured the girl to come in. Only after Espeon's little shove Hotaru finally moved, Cyndaquil and Chikorita followed her closely behind. "I'm sorry, it looks a little messy. I haven't had the time to clean my lab," the professor said. Messy was not the right word for the organization in his working place. Chaotic matched it way better. Hotaru's eyes wandered from the over jammed shelves to the messy desk and the piles of papers. Hastily, the professor hopped around, trying to collect two clean cups. It was nearly impossible to find something clean in this chaos, that was what Hotaru thought. Professor Elm finally found two dusted white porcelain cup hidden behind some books in a shelf, he also grabbed a bag with salty crackers. "Tea?" the man asked.

The girl hesitated, but wouldn't she accept his offer. "Yes, green tea, please," she said.

With a nod, Professor Elm got a package of tea, pulled out two tea bags and put them into the cups. With a water boiler he quickly heated up the water for the tea and served the crackers on some old porcelain plate. "We have more room here. You can sit wherever you want, just make yourself comfortable." The professor gestured her to follow him into another room, a smaller one, not as messy as the one before, with two couches and a table inside. In a swift move, he placed the plate with crackers on the coffee table and rushed to the boiling water. "My wife always tells me to get a good lunch, but I never have enough time because of my work. So, most of the days I just eat those crackers," Professor Elm explained Hotaru while he handed her the cup of green tea.

"Thank you," Hotaru mumbled. She felt the warmth of the cup in her hands and put it aside for a while before she reached out for a single cracker. The first one was Shaymin's. Hotaru picked up Shaymin from her shoulder and placed it next to her on the couch before she fed the hedgehog Pokémon. Cyndaquil and Chikorita searched for a place near her feet and leaned against her legs. Both of them nibbled on a piece of Pokémon food which each of them got somewhere. Espeon instead waited for the second cracker and devoured it impatiently as Hotaru it to the cat Pokémon. Then, she picked up another cracker and carefully bit into the corner. The taste of food was already strange, nearly disgusting, as the result she fed Shaymin with it.

"Your Pokémon are quite hungry," Elm stated and took a sip of his hot tea.

"They haven't eaten in a while," replied the girl.

Professor Elm arched one eyebrow but kept his suspicion under control. "Oh. You know, I can't tell you how happy I am that you found Cyndaquil and Chikorita. After a little accident, they ran away, but I only got this little one here," the man said, withdrew a Poké Ball from the pocket in his coat, and released a Water-type Pokémon, a Totodile. Immediately, Chikorita and Cyndaquil jumped up and dashed to their friend to play. "Totodile was already chosen by a Trainer, who will pick it up next week. And another person, who wants to become a Trainer as well will choose between the other two."

A short glance at the Pokémon trio and Hotaru understood what they were telling her earlier. "But what if they want to stay here..." she spoke out her thoughts. "If you just give them away... you don't know if their new Trainers will be kind. I think they're afraid of that," the girl murmured, took the cup and took a tiny sip of her tea.

"That is true, but it is my duty to find new Trainers," Professor Elm said as he watched the three Pokémon playing. "However, I haven't met an evil Trainer yet. I guess most people love Pokémon and respect them as partners."

Suddenly, Shaymin narrowed its eyes and Espeon stopped eating. Hotaru clutched the hot cup but ignored the hot porcelain. "I know a lot of Trainers and people who would hurt Pokémon without hesitation..." Hotaru mumbled and lowered her head.

"Hotaru..." Shaymin sighed.

Hotaru's head hung, her blonde bangs covered her face. Tiny teardrops fell into the cup, dropped into the green tea. While trying to not show her tears, she placed the cup on the coffee table, still with her lowered face. "There are people who don't know what mercy is..." she stuttered. "People who hurt Pokémon and other people. I... I don't even want to think about it, because... it makes me want to throw up. I can't understand this..." The stuttering turned into sobbing and Hotaru couldn't hold back her tears anymore.

"Hotaru, what has happened to you?" Professor Elm asked with concern.

She couldn't reply, instead Shaymin spoke in her place. "Evil people kidnapped us. They did horrible things to Hotaru and me, and about one day ago we escaped."

"Who are they?" the professor asked. He was about to hop to his feet and go to the girl, however he remained on his couch.

The girl nearly chocked on her own saliva, but managed to speak somehow. "Team Rocket... that's what they call themselves. They catch, hurt, and experiment on Pokémon, even on humans," Hotaru cried and wiped across her face with her arm. The slightest touch on her temples made her wince. "They were after Shaymin, because it is a legendary...and...when I found it, I tried to protect it from Team Rocket. Suddenly, I was their target as well. I never experienced such painful things before..." The girl wrapped her arms tightly around herself and crouched.

"Did you tell the police?" Professor Elm asked.

"No..." Hotaru gagged. "I thought that they wouldn't believe me. I mean... why would Team Rocket need a girl for their plans?" she rather talked to herself.

The professor scratched his chin in confusion. The girl was right, why would a criminal organization like Team Rocket kidnap a teenager? The reason why they caught Shaymin was believable. But a girl like Hotaru? "May I ask... why did they need you?" he asked.

The girl's teary eyes went wide. For a moment she didn't sob, neither did she dare to breathe. Her hands balled to fists. "Well...let's say...I am not as normal as I look like..." she explained, earning a gaze in disbelief and confusion. "How... I mean..." she let out a heavy sigh. "The reason why I said Cyndaquil and Chikorita are afraid of their new Trainers is because they told me," Hotaru spoke and clutched the seam of her skirt. "I can understand and talk to Pokémon." First she thought Professor Elm was about to faint, but then his look resembled the look of a Magikarp. Simply expressionless. "I know it sounds weird, but I am not lying..."

"Wait, wait, wait," the professor interrupted her. "You mean, like talking to them? Understanding them?"

Hotaru nodded slowly. Quickly, she wiped her tears away and ran her left hand through her hair. "Yes, and not only that." The girl glanced at Espeon. _"Use your Psychic Attack," _she commanded mentally. Espeon nodded, got up and focused on Elm's teacup. It started floating in midair, flying in circles around him and then landed on the coffee table, without spilling a single drop of the green tea. "I can talk to them mentally," she admitted. First, it was one of the most difficult decisions she had ever made, but suddenly she felt like she needed to speak this out.

"That explains...wait, what?" suddenly, Professor Elm jumped up to his feet. "You can't be serious! I mean I have never hear of someone having..."

With a tiny sigh, Hotaru blushed slightly. "Cyndaquil and Chikorita didn't run away just for fun, they were scared. Scared of their new Trainers," Hotaru stated, earning quite a confused look. "They told me that you intent to give them away."

"That is true but how did you..." Elm stopped as he saw Hotaru's expression. There was only one possibility, she had told him the truth. Besides, after the facts about a talking Shaymin, Team Rocket kidnapping teenagers and Hotaru having the ability to communicate with Pokémon, could there be anything surprising now? Slowly, Elm sat down on the couch, placed his hands on his upper legs and stared at the tiled floor. "Please, forgive me. That sounds quite incredible to me," the Pokémon Professor admitted. Again, his eyes wandered over the girl's appearance and scanned the slightest feature. "Then this didn't happen because you tripped, I guess?" he asked, his eyes locked on her wounds and injuries.

Hotaru shook her head.

"And your family? Do they know about all this? They must be worried to death."

There was an awful silence in the room, making the whole situation uncomfortable and nearly unbearable. Unconsciously, Hotaru lowered her head and folded her hands on her knees, pressing them together to prevent more tears. "There is nobody..." Suddenly, Hotaru straightened, pushed some dust off her skirt and bowed her head. "I know all of that sounds beyond belief and I am sorry that I wasted your time." With a swift move she picked up Shaymin and smiled at the Professor. "Thank you for the tea, but I should leave now." As she made the first step Cyndaquil hopped up to follow her, however, the Pokémon was more than confused.

"Wait," Professor Elm exlaimed.

Hotaru raised her head to look at him.

"I will help you," the professor stated.

For the first time in days, Hotaru's heart nearly missed a beat. She heard words she had never expected. "Wha...?" But was that true? Her eyes widened in surprise. In a moment of hope, she tried to speak, but no words came over her lips.

"I said I will help you."

* * *

**Hello folks,  
**

**surprised by the llittle twist? Who is going to be Hotaru's Johto Starter? Two of the choices in my last poll had the same number of votes, so I still have not really decided which Pokemon I would choose for Hotaru. Cyndaquil or Chikorita? I actually have a little idea in my mind, but again, you can choose between those two Pokemon. I hope it will help me with my decision.  
**

**BTW...  
I am sorry for not updating so long. I had... and still have a lot of personal problems and stress. At the moment...everything goes down for me...and I hope this will change soon. I hope you can understand me, but even if you're mad at me that is reasonable. My updates won't be as regular as they've been a while ago. I just can't find the time to write. But I hope you will still follow my stories and my updates. **

**So far, I hope you will still leave reviews and tell me your opinion. It would really help me. **

**Thank you for reading**


	10. Town Of Fragrant Flowers

**Chapter 9: Town of Fragrant Flowers**

"I will definitely help you, Hotaru," Professor Elm said.

Hotaru's expression fell for a moment, her jaw opened, but she somehow managed to find her words to speak again. "What? You mean... you will..." In that precise moment she nearly gagged on her own saliva. Her eyes became teary as well and her hands were trembling. She couldn't believe her own ears.

"Let's say... I will do my best to help you." The professor smiled. "I believe Team won't stop hunting you until they get you and I guess it would be a fatal mistake to return to your home," the professor said and waited for Hotaru to react, but he only got a nod as answer. "The problem will be your location. They mustn't find out where you are. The best solution for you would be to change your location as often as possible."

The girl shrugged her shoulders slightly. "And how? I can't afford to move every single week. I'm a Highschool student," Hotaru sighed and lowered her head. Her face fell, just like her shoulders and her hopes. She felt Espeon leaning against her leg and saw how Chikorita and Cyndaquil glanced at her shyly. "I have no idea what I should do..." she mumbled under her breath.

Professor Elm stared at her for a moment before he smiled. "Who said something about moving?" he asked. Hotaru's gaze met his suddenly and she stared at him, stunned and irritated. "What about traveling? You're a student, but a Trainer as well. What about a Trainer journey through Johto? You would have to catch and train new Pokémon, and perhaps find new friends," the man suggested.

First, Hotaru narrowed her eyes at him in confusion. She didn't know what to say, or even what to think about his idea. Traveling sounded like fun, but a journey? It was the last thing Hotaru intended to do right now after all the trouble. She wanted her own peace and freedom, and freedom didn't mean sleeping under the night sky. It was a nice idea for a camping trip, however Hotaru didn't want to travel around a whole region. The idea didn't leave a good impression, but considering the fact that it was one good chance to escape Team Rocket's plans... somehow it sounded consistent. And the wild nature was the perfect hideout Hotaru would have all advantages in. While biting her lip, Hotaru played with the seam of her skirt. It was a difficult decision, but when she saw Shaymin's expression, she already knew her answer. That sad and frightened look in its eyes.

"What do you say?" Professor Elm asked.

"...kay..." Hotaru muttered under her breath. "Okay..." She raised her head.

"I promise you, I will help and support you. First of all, you need the basic equipment of a real Trainer," Elm exclaimed and jumped to his feet. It seemed like he had a caffeine shock. With lightening speed he ran to one of the shelves in his laboratory, picked up some things and immediately rushed to the next shelf. The man repeated the process several times, and every time he rushed to another part of the room, Hotaru's confusion grew. Calmly, but irritated, she watched him. "You will need this. First of all, a Pokégear. You can call me whenever you have a problem, or you just want to chat," Professor Elm spoke and pressed the tiny device into Hotaru's hands. "Next is a Pokédex. It is a digital encyclopedia, which will collect all data of a Pokémon as soon as you see and catch it. This little device can also help you to find strategies for battles. Just use the information you need. And last but not least, six Poké Balls. I think it is better to have more Pokémon in your team."

First, Hotaru gazed at the devices with suspicion, before she placed the Pokégear and the Pokédex on the coffee table in front of her. She only kept the Poké Balls and attached them to her skirt, beneath her blouse. "I guess that is all I need," Hotaru stated.

Elm's eyes widened in shock. "But...why...why...why?" he stammered. "A Trainer can't travel...without..."

"It's okay. This won't be a normal journey. I have no intention in battling. I just want to get as far away from Team Rocket as possible," the girl mumbled silently.

"This is also a great chance to collect precious experience," Professor Elm said and picked up the Trainer devices. "But even if you don't think that way now, you will change your mind soon. A journey has always changed Trainers and Pokémon and I guess it will also help you in more than just one way. Still, let me give you this." He handed Hotaru a plastic card, seemingly a coupon for a Trainer store. "I've got this a while ago for one of the new Trainers, but I couldn't find anyone who could use it. I have the feeling that is better to give this to you. I guess you need it more than anyone else There is a store in Cherrygrove City, where you can get new clothes with the coupon." the man said.

With a slight nod, Hotaru smiled and thanked him. For a brief moment, everything around her seemed so surreal, like a dream, however she knew it was the reality. "Professor..." the girl started. "I only have one question. Why? Why do you want to help me? You barely know me."

It was a silly questions in Elm's opinion, but a question he loved to answer. "You see, since years I am doing the same thing, working on my studies and preparing kids for their big journeys, but I could never be a help to someone. When I saw you, I knew I could finally be useful to someone. So why I should refuse to help you? It wouldn't make any sense," he explained.

Hotaru squinted and pressed her eyes close. The coming tears were bothering and itching, and she didn't want to cry, even though her tears were tears of happiness. However, secretly, she cried inside. "Thank you," Hotaru stuttered and wrapped her arms around Professor Elm, who was a little surprised by her sudden hug. He smiled and patted the girl's head.

_I know this journey will be good for you, Hotaru, _Espeon thought.

"Hotaru, what do you say? I need to go back to Cherrygrove City, do you want me to give you a ride? You wouldn't have to walk the whole way there," Professor Elm suggested.

"Sure, that would be great!" Hotaru exclaimed. Gazing at Elm's Pokémon she already knew she had to say goodbye. Carefully she knelt down and stroked along Chikorita's leaf. "Thank you for everything. I hope we will see us again," he said and also petted Cyndaquil. The Grass-type Pokémon glanced at Hotaru shyly before it ran away to play with Totodile, while Cyndaquil kept staring at her. A tiny sigh could be heard and the hedgehog lowered its head. With two small steps it approached Hotaru and clung to her leg. "Sorry, Cyndaquil, I can't keep you," Hotaru said and picked it up with caution. Again, she let it down and smiled at the Pokémon. _"And don't worry about a new Trainer. I'm sure he or she will be nice to you," _Hotaru told the Pokémon.

"Ready to go?" the professor asked her and earned a slight nod. He grabbed his car keys ad winked at the girl, what made her smile. But the professor also saw, how attached Cyndaquila was to the young girl, since the Pokémon had always been shy and reserved, and suddenly, it clung to a human. "It seems that you have found a new friend already," the man said.

Hotaru gazed at Cyndaquil and found it somewhat strange and unfamiliar. Unconsciously, she made a step backward and Cyndaquil followed her. Again, it clung to her leg and hugged it. To test it a second time, Hotaru stepped to the side and it was the same result. Cyndaquil chased after her and hugged her leg once more. "Well, I guess somebody is not ready for a good-bye," she mentioned.

"That's not what I meant," Elm stated. "Cyndaquil was always scared of strangers, and with strangers I mean humans. It is quite a surprise to see it so trusting."

The girl patted the hedgehog's head. The disregarded Shaymin meanwhile became simply angry and jealous. It didn't get any attention, even though it was a legendary Pokémon. Offended, it sat on the couch and pouted, what amused Espeon a little. The purple cat-like Pokémon giggled silently.

"Perhaps my ability," Hotaru mumbled.

"No, I don't think so," Professor Elm interrupted her quickly. "At least not _that _ability you're thinking of. You said you can talk to Pokémon, but I think there is more behind it. You can see a Pokémon's emotions... I know it sounds weird the way I am trying to explain it..." he laughed a little embarrassed. "So, what do you say? Shall we start?"

Hotaru nodded with new enthusiasm. Suddenly, Cyndaquil started crying loudly and didn't calm down anymore. First, Hotaru ducked a little, but then she noticed it was because of her. Gently, she patted Cyndaquil's head and immediately, the Pokémon stopped whining. The moment she stopped stroking it, tears began to come up in the Pokémon's eyes again. "I guess we've got a little problem here..." the girl muttered. "I can't take you along with me," she told the Pokémon calmly, but Cyndaquil wouldn't stop crying. "Professor Elm? Do I have the permission to take Cyndaquil with me?" Hotaru asked and winked obviously.

Elm nodded and understood her gesture. "Of course." He winked back.

"Can we go now?" asked Shaymin, quite annoyed.

Hotaru laughed a little. She found the happening amusing instead of annoying. It was cute, how attached the Cyndaquil was to her. "Well, Cyndaquil, back into you Poké Ball then," she said and gave a little gesture by winking again. Professor Elm was able to return the Pokémon into its Poké Ball without effort. "I think it won't notice that trick... at least I hope so," Hotaru giggled. "Professor Elm. Again, I want to thank you for everything." Another silent moment passed, before Espeon made the first step towards the door. the professor also returned Chikorita and Totodile before he left the three Poké Balls in his lab. Hotaru followed quietly, but with a smile on her lips. She walked silently behind Professor Elm and remembered what had just happened. First, her emotions had been a mess, but then she found gratitude and happiness again.

The way to Elm's jeep was not a far one, but full of thoughts Hotaru had been sunk in. This whole journey was a new beginning of a new section in her life. It was more than simply a way to escape Team Rocket, and Hotaru knew that.

After Professor Elm also climbed in his car, he started the motor and drove the same way back to Cherrygrove City.

Hotaru enjoyed the wind, which let her hair dance around. She felt freedom for a moment and already thought about what her journey would be like. What would happen to her? It was the moment she realized, that she was about to travel across the entire Johto Region, but somehow she liked that idea. All she had ever seen was a tiny island, which she had never accepted as her home. As the wind turned, Hotaru sensed something unfamiliar. It was like the wind shoved her into a new adventure, into a new world. Meanwhile, Shaymin enjoyed the ride as it was sitting on Hotaru's lap. The hedgehog had different thoughts and feelings about a journey.

"What are your next plans?" Elm's questions interrupted the girl.

"I don't even know yet. I guess I will travel from one town to another. I never had a plan in my life," she explained. _And I don't need one... All I want to do is to protect you,_ she thought as her gaze met Shaymin's appearance. The hedgehog didn't even notice her blank stare. Only Espeon could sense it.  
The ride back to the other town was pleasant. After a while, Hotaru smelled that wonderful scent again, the scent of flowers. Cherrygrove wasn't far away anymore. She could already see the housetops of the town. The colours of the roofs blended with the colours of the flowers which covered some parts of the town like carpets. _The world is still colorful..._ Hotaru thought. The memories she thought about were all greyish and darkened her emotions, but seeing the beautiful nature and colours around her gave her new strength. Slowly, and only for a short moment, she hummed a quiet melody that also filled her with new joy. Neither Espeon nor Shaymin did hear her.

Suddenly, Professor Elm interrupted her. "I will drop you off near that Trainer store. You should get some new clothes there," he suggested with good reasons.

"Yes," replied Hotaru.

They passed the first houses and streets before Professor Elm and Hotaru arrived in the center of the town, near the market place. Quietly, Hotaru gulped and forced herself to ignore the market and all memories about it. She was already lucky she hadn't been caught, since she stole something. Though, it was just two apples, it was still stealing. What a great new start in a strange region. _This will never happen again, _Hotaru told herself mentally.

The car decelerated and Professor Elm halted near the shopping promenade of Cherrygrove City. "Here we are. I'm glad I didn't let you walk the way back here," the man said and scratched his neck before he reached in his right trouser pocket handed Hotaru a slip of paper with a number on it. "Whenever you need help, don't hesitate to call me. And I would also appreciate it, if you call me sometimes and tell me about your journey," he explained.

Swiftly, the blonde girl nodded. "Of course. Thank you, Professor!" Hotaru held the paper close to her chest and bowed slightly. The hug before was a moment where her she couldn't control herself, that's what she thought. A polite bow was the result of her gratitude now, but her inner self wanted to hug him like before. Perhaps it was her personality that let her feel uncomfortable by being close to other, especially strange people but somehow she felt that she could trust Professor Elm. He didn't even have a hint of a sinister aura. He was was as well the first person since a long time Hotaru felt comfortable around.

"Well then, I wish you good luck, Hotaru," Elm said and waved his hand as good-bye.

Hotaru bowed once again, waited for Espeon to get out of the car, picked up Shaymin and finally turned around to leave. Perhaps, it was a hint of trust that made her turn around and smile. A few more steps and she was already around the corner, out of the professor's sight.

* * *

"Are you done?" Shaymin asked, annoyed and bored. It waited for Hotaru to come out of the changing room after almost one hour in the Trainer store.

The Pokémon heard a silent sigh. "Yes..." Hotaru stretched the word long enough to make it sound unbelievable again, yet she suddenly pushed the curtain of the changing room aside and came out. "What do you think?" Hotaru asked. Espeon eyed her from head to toe and shook its head. It was a clear signal, a clear 'no'. The light blue tanktop with the printed flower design and the black top underneath looked adorable, but the shorts she wore, ruined the whole image. "I know... but I can't spend too much. These clothes are way too expensive and the coupon has just a value of..." The girl grabbed the coupon Professor Elm has given her and grimaced."... 5000 Pokédollar..." she sighed loudly. "It was really nice of the professor to hand it to me... but I can barely find something that is not that expensive." She turned her head and fumbled to get the price lable of the blue shirt. Simply the glance at it made her shiver and gulp.

In a moment of despair, Hotaru dropped on her knees. She was lucky enough that it didn't catch the other customers' attention. What an embarrassing situation.

"Espe!" the cat-like Pokémon touched Hotaru's arm with its nose gently. _"What about this one here?" _it asked and gestures at a simple, yet pretty outfit, which was hidden between the goods shelf. The most important fact for Hotaru was the price, since it was a special bargain.

"That could..." Hotaru mumbled and went straight to that complete outfit. A short-sleeved hoodie, olive in colour with a single Poké Ball printed on the side and marine blue stripes. The other part was a dark blue, almost black pleated skirt, which reminded Hotaru of her school uniform. Quickly, she grabbed the hanger and disappeared into the changing room again, leaving Shaymin and Espeon in a cloud of dust. "That's it!Yes! " Her voice echoed through the store.

All people in the store looked at that one certain cabin the voice came from. Espeon couldn't help but giggle. "Espeon. Espe..." The Pokémon used its Psychic Attack to carry a pair of running shoes to the changing room. The blue colour matched the skirt. A hand quickly grabbed the shoes and pulled them inside, making Espeon chuckle even louder.

Out of the sudden, the curtain moved aside, revealing a new and determined Trainer.

The fire in Hotaru's eyes literally showed her new fighting spirit. Some people would also call it a successful shopping trip. Something essential for young girls, generally for all women. It also has been a while since the blonde girl had so much fun. It helped her to forget the recent events.

"Finished?" asked Shaymin, not very impressed.

"Yes, Shaymin," Hotaru mumbled.

"You already said that four times!" the hedgehog complained and rolled its eyes.

"This time for sure. I think this is perfect," Hotaru said and made a full turn to get a good look at herself in the mirror of the changing room. In a moment of silence, she quickly calculated the sum of costs and a grin on her lips proved that the clothes were in her budget. There was even room for something else. Something like... a bag? In a rush, Hotaru sprinted to the department where she found all kinds of bags. Backpacks, messenger bags, all variations for new Trainers. This time, Hotaru didn't choose a stylish bag, just a simple, beige and cheap backpack.

Shaymin jumped on Espeon's back as their Trainer and human friend already ran to the cash desk. The cat-like Pokémon carried the mostly lighter hedgehog to its Trainer. At the same time, Hotaru hopped on the cash desk and let the shop assistant scan the tags. It was quite an unusual way of doing that, but since Hotaru was too lazy to take the new clothes off, it was the only possibility. The shop assistant, a woman in her early twenties simply shook her head. The coupon had only just the right value to pay for all the clothes, shoes and the bag.

A loud and heavy sigh escaped Hotaru's lips. She hopped off the cash desk, even ignored the tags still hanging on her shirt and skirt and ran outside with her Pokémon. In her rush, she ripped the tags off. Even Espeon couldn't explain Hotaru's strange behavior. The girl seemed to sparkle in new determination. It was quite a surprise.

Shaymin, on top of Espeon's back couldn't even think about jumping off. It had enough trouble to cling to the Pokémon, which dashed after its Trainer through the streets of Cherrygrove City.

"H-Hotaru...wh-what's wrong?" asked Shaymin.

After a few seconds, Hotaru came to a halt. Quickly, she inhaled some fresh air and breathed deeply. "Nothing, Shaymin." She only turned her head to face her Pokémon and the tiny hedgehog. Shadows danced across her face as the sun slowly disappeared on the horizon. The orange afternoon sky threw a reddish shade on the girl's cheeks. "I wanted to start this journey as fast as possible."

"But you weren't even so impressed by the idea." The hedgehog Pokémon.

"I know," the blonde said. "But I decided to do this..." A small pause. "...for you..."

Shaymin gazed at her in slight confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You told me about your home. And I don't want anybody to destroy your dreams. If you have a place to return, then I will protect and support you to find it. Like Professor Elm helped me... that is the only reason!" Hotaru mumbled, her eyes hidden between her bangs, which danced in a fresh breeze. "I failed to protect you earlier, and now I decided to make up for it."

Shivering, the hedgehog climbed off Espeon's back and went towards the girl. It already sniveled and glanced at the girl with teary eyes, its whole body was trembling. "Thank you...Hotaru..." Shaymin sobbed. Tears were running down its tiny face.

A new fresh, this time stronger wind danced through the town and carried the scent of flowers and also a new beginning.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Professor Elm's lab:

"Cyndaquil! I'm sorry! I know it was a mean trick, but... Stop it! No, don't burn those books! No!" Elm cried loudly and ran after the tiny fire hedgehog, which sprinted through his lab and set important research documents on fire. Perhaps it was the revenge for lying to it earlier that day. It all happened while Chikorita and Totodile watched it amused and ate some Pokémon food, not caring about the others' personal issues and the mess in the lab.

"Cynda!" the Pokémon hissed.

* * *

**Considering the fact that I had to work in my whole free time since eight months...that was a fast update. NO, IT WASN'T!  
I'm very sorry. I couldn't find the hint of a chance to write. There is so much to do! Work! And exams ! D: But I honestly have to say...there is one song which gave me new motivation to write. If you have the chance, check it out. It is called 'With you, with me' by 9nine. It is truly a wonderful song, full with emotions.  
**

**And about the poll about the starters...I made up my mind and finally decided which Pokémon Hotaru should get. So I am sorry if your choice didn't come up here yet. But I got a little surprise later in the story.  
**

**Please, forgive me. It is just a horribly busy year (like last year)**

**If you forgive me, please like and review :) I will do my best to update soon.**


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